Silent Songbird, Sing for Me
by Kalani Kista
Summary: Anthro AU: Goldie and his friends are in their second year of college at an arts school. This year, though, things are very different; Goldie and Foxy's roommates are odd, Freddy is feeling strange around his friends Bonnie and Chica, and the arrival of Bonnie's brother introduces Alfred to a world he never really knew. M for future themes.
1. Arc I, Part I

**A/N** : Welcome to the new and improved _Silent Songbird, Sing for Me_ , probably nowhere near the best college anthro AU! Complete with improved personalities, more cohesive relationships, better dialogue, and a slower, more realistic, less spastic/jumpy/random pace and perspective!

This story focuses on Golden Freddy/Springtrap, but this story is being written in arcs, so an arc may be about other characters as well.

All information about this story can be found on my profile. I'm only posting the most important information here!

Pairings: Goldie/Spring, Foxy/Mike, Freddy/Bonnie/Chica, Alfred/Bonsai, Marion/Jeremy.

 **Note:** I've dropped PG/PG because meh, I've grown to highly dislike that pairing. Plus the related arc just doesn't seem interesting to me.

 **Note 2** : The setting is somewhere along the east coast, either in North or South Carolina. This is because I grew up in the southeast of the USA and I know its geography/climate/weather patterns/etc better than I know anywhere else.

 **Warnings:** Homosexuality, polygamy/polyamory, human/non-human, transgender and transphobia issues, depictions of depression, abuse, self-harm, potentially suicidal characters, mental and physical illnesses, angsty backgrounds for many characters, strained parental relationships

Music is a major part of this story. I myself am actually a studio art student, but I've spent most of my life in a music program of some kind, so don't worry, I sort of know what I'm doing!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing! Everything belongs to Scott Cawthon!

* * *

 _Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies._

Edward Bulwer-Lyton

* * *

 **ARC I, PART I**

 **Moving In**

"Please!"

"I told you to go at lunch!"

"Lad, that was three hours ago!"

"We were at _your_ house three hours ago! Come on, Foxy, it's ten minutes until we get to campus, can't you hold it?"

"Nay! If you don't stop you're gonna have a soiled seat!" the fox in question whined pathetically, wiggling in his spot on the sienna's back seat. The person sitting on the seat with him, a light brown bear with bright blue eyes and naturally rosy cheeks, made a face and tried to inch away, although his hip was already pressed against the armrest.

"Goldie, just pull into a gas station or something, I'm sitting right next to him!"

"There's an entire seat between you two," the golden bear pointed out, glancing into the rearview mirror. There were four people in the Sienna besides the driver; two bears, a purple rabbit, and the fox. The bear with the rosy cheeks was sitting in the very back with the fox, though neither had taken the center seat, and the darker brown bear was sitting in the seat right behind the golden bear, looking both amused and disgusted at once. The purple rabbit, in the other center seat, was very clearly simply amused.

"Just pull over!" the fox begged, drumming his hand on his knee. "My bladder's about to explode!"

Goldie sighed dramatically and pulled into a turn lane to a gas station. Thankfully they were already in town, but their destination was still eight minutes off and he'd rather _not_ have a car smelling like Foxy's accident. As soon as he pulled into a parking space, Foxy was out the door and inside the store before any of them could even so much as blink.

Goldie turned around in his seat to look at the others. "I will kill him if I have to room with him again," he warned them, a serious expression on his face. "Love him to death and all that, but I _will_ murder him."

The darker brown bear chuckled, shaking his head. "Ah, Goldie, you said that halfway through last semester."

"And the semester before that," the other bear added.

"And at Christmas," the rabbit put in, a small grin on his face. "Then again, he said the same thing about you."

"You can always room with me this year," Freddy added with a glint in his eye. Goldie made a face.

"Uh, no!," he mock-sniffed haughtily. "Foxy's filth might invade my side of the room, but your OCDness does too."

"I'm not OCD, I just like having a neat space. Everything has its place, and then at least your music stand would stay in its spot."

"Too bad, though," Bonnie interrupted, giving Freddy a grin. "I already staked my claim. My best friend, my roommate."

"I think brother is one step above best friend," Alfred pointed out from the back. "Twin brother even more so."

"What about a triplet brother?" Bonnie asked. "Doesn't that devalue the brother deal, since there's more? Besides, don't y'all three get sick of each other?"

The three bears all exchanged glances, as though considering this. Then, at the very same time, they said, "Not really," in the most flat, matter-of-fact way possible.

Bonnie laughed at the bear triplets and shook his head. "That's exactly what I expected you to say."

"I wouldn't mind not sleeping in the same room as Mr. Cleans-a-Lot though," Alfred said thoughtfully. "Or Mr. Leaves-His-Stand-Everywhere. Then again, I wasn't in your dorm at all last year," he added with a laugh. "I hope I'm not with that guy again- what was his name, Paul? Every time I went to sleep I swore that guy would smother me."

"Paul ain't so bad," Foxy interrupted as he climbed back into the Sienna, a bag of 20-ounce drinks in his left hand. "Great actor."

"He's a sociopath, I swear," Alfred shot back. "Always smiling and bright and cheery and just- eesh."

"Smiling and nice isn't sociopathic, Al," Freddy told his youngest brother, accepting the offered root beer from the fox. Bonnie took his cherry soda and passed Goldie a pepsi, and the fox handed Alfred the bear's preferred orange fanta while settling down with his own grape fanta.

"I'm pretty sure it is, actually," Alfred retorted, opening his bottle. "So, we're, what, an hour behind schedule because of Foxy?"

"Two," the elder bears chorused, with Goldie adding in, "One was Foxy oversleeping and not being ready when we went to pick him up, at least twenty minutes was him being hungry or needing to use the bathroom, and the rest was Freddy being anal about his bedroom."

"I didn't take forty minutes on my bedroom."

"Oh my bad, you took thirty-nine minutes on it."

"Thank you."

The friends all began laughing at the simple response, and without a fox to gripe and beg to use the bathroom, Goldie switched the radio back on. Almost immediately, everyone in the vehicle burst out singing, badly, along to _I Need a Hero,_ which was on the burned disc in the CD player. The disc had been filled with music from the 70's and 80's, and there were some other discs in the glove compartment with music from other eras- including modern, of course- but it had just so happened that they had reached the eighties when Foxy realized he had drank too much.

The last eight minutes passed quickly for the laughing, singing friends, and when they finally arrived to the sprawling, open-space college campus on the edge of the city, each of them were eager to meet up with the rest of their friends and go to their dorm rooms. Goldie pulled into the campus' east parking lot and pulled into his designated spot. "Alright, come on, guys, let's go see where our rooms are and get our keys," Goldie laughed, turning the radio down before shutting the car off.

The five friends climbed out of the van, but they left their suitcases there for the time being as they headed towards the boys' dormhouse, to the lobby and office on the ground floor where they would receive their room keys. It was closer to the southern and western parking lots than the eastern but none of them really minded. The part none of them would like was actually carrying their bags across campus to the dorms on the west side.

"Please oh please don't put me in the same dorm as Goldie," Foxy sighed overdramatically, draping an arm as best he could across his taller friend's shoulders. It was a rather funny sight, actually. "I'll just die if that happens!"

"Oh don't be so dramatic," Alfred called over with a smirk. "You won't die immediately, it'll be slow and gradual and painful."

"Thanks, Al, thanks!" Goldie laughed, shoving the fox off of him and causing him to stumble into Freddy. Freddy steadied the fox as they walked across the grass.

"Woah there, careful," Freddy chuckled, looking at his brother. "Foxy's fragile, you know."

"I'll have you know I am _not_ fragile," Foxy complained, then promptly pulled his right hand from his wrist. "Hm, what do you know, I _am_ fragile." A surprised gasp caught the group's attention, and they looked over at a group of girls, walking along the sidewalk and staring in shock at Foxy's hand.

They watched as the group of girls passed by, their eyes wide and horrified as they stared at the very realistic prosthetic. When the girls were out of earshot, all five boys burst into laughter. "Did you see their faces?" Goldie wheezed between laughs, wiping an imaginary tear from his cheek.

"Imagine their reaction if I had pulled my eye out instead!" Foxy laughed, attaching the hand back to his wrist. "Oh man, I should try that one day!"

"I thought you did that last year. Twice!"

"I should do it in front of the freshies this time, not many of the juniors or seniors reacted last year…"

The group sighed as their laughter finally died down. "So real talk, what's the likelihood of us five being in dorm rooms together?" Bonnie finally asked. "There's five of us and only four to a room."

"Well, _you_ guys've always been together before," Alfred pointed out dryly. "Last year Foxy, Freddy, Goldie, and you were in one dorm and I was right next door with the sociopath. I wonder who I'll be with this time…"

They all chuckled as Freddy opened the glass doors to the dormhouse, allowing the entire group to enter before following. There was a rather long line to the counter, and they all knew it wasn't going to shorten as more people came in, but they chose to find out which dorms they were in first anyway.

They walked over, as a group, to the list on the wall, where two or three people stood. Bonnie, being the tallest, scanned the list until he found their names about halfway down.

"Here we are!" he grinned. "It's me, Freddy, and Foxy in 2B. But Alfred and Goldie are in our old room, 2A."

"Woah, wait, what?" Foxy none too gently pushed his way between two of the other students looking at the list. He scanned the list, and after a moment of intense silence he said, "Mike Schmidt? Who the hell is Mike Schmidt?"

"Mike Schmidt took my place," Goldie whined, though it was more teasing than truly upset. Then he said, "Thank goodness, be sure you warn him about Foxy!" He didn't mind not rooming with them, considering who he'd be stuck with. He pulled the red fox out of the way of the two students, who were glaring at Foxy. "Who's with Alfred and me?"

"Someone named Marion Strings and someone else named Durrell Franks," Bonnie answered. "Funny, three out of four people in our old dorm room weren't there last year. Give those two strangers a hell of a story when explaining the gouge on the television!"

Freddy groaned while the others laughed. "That ugly mark," he grumbled, rubbing his forehead. "How embarrassing that is."

"Oh come on, Freddy, you know it's a part of that room now," Bonnie laughed, lightly nudging him in the ribs. "Even you stopped trying to find ways to cover it and just accepted it as part of the decor!"

"Come on, guys, let's get in line now," Goldie suggested. "I want to get to our dorms and claim our rooms _before_ tomorrow, please."

"Yeah yeah, we're coming, Goldie, hold onto your horses."

"That horse done bucked me off, trampled me, and run off like the wind, Bonnie."

"Pity, it was a nice horse too."

* * *

The dorm rooms weren't anything fancy. There was a simple room which could comfortably fit the occupants and then some friends; there were two couches, one sitting pressed against a wall and the other, smaller couch was caddy-corner. In front of the wall-couch, within reaching distance of the caddy-corner couch, was a simple wooden coffee table, short enough to prop your feet up on but tall enough to sit on the floor leaning against the couch and work on if your desk was a total wreck. On the other side of the coffee table was a clunky but decent television, a deep, obvious almost-white gouge on the black top. There were four doors in the room; two spaced evenly apart on the far wall, and two opposite each other on the side walls, close to the other doors. Bedrooms and bathrooms, respectively.

However, Goldie didn't pay this familiar sight any attention.

Instead, when Goldie finally reached 2A on the third floor of the boys' dorm, he dropped his three suitcases, music stand, and bookbag right there in the middle of the common room with a pained, exhausted groan. "Why can't we get southern parking lot?" He complained as he stretched his arms, glancing in the direction of the parking lot he knew was less than a football field away from the dorm.

"Not everyone's a lazy ass like you," Alfred told him, looking at the bedroom doors. "I'm gonna see if the left room has availability."

"Has availability, what are you, a hotel advertisement?" Goldie snorted and walked towards the door on the right, hoping that no one had yet arrived. When he peeked in, he saw that someone _had_ already arrived but was not currently in the room, but one of the beds was still bare and unclaimed.

The room wasn't big, but it was big enough to comfortably fit two people. There were two beds pressed against the far corners with a window between them, each with its own nightstand, lamp, and alarm clock. The beds also happened to double as dressers, with the dresser-drawers underneath the bed. There was no closet, considering it was a school dorm, but Goldie didn't mind that much. At the end of each bed there was an empty space, as though the school expected students to bring a trunk- which, Goldie was sure, no one did in this day and age- and tucked into the corners on either side of the door were desks large enough to work on but too small to really spend any time at. A metal corner-shelf was above the desks on each side of the room for extra storage space, which was good because the room didn't have much to begin with.

It was just the way Goldie remembered it. Well, except for the unfamiliar, scuffed brown suitcase sitting on the unfamiliar blue and gold comforter, with the unfamiliar shirts abandoned and a drawer slightly open as if the owner seemed to have realized he had somewhere important to be right in the middle of unpacking. In the space at the end of the bed, where Goldie assumed a trunk was supposed to go, there was another suitcase covered by a blue "cosmos" blanket. There were two neat stacks of about a _million_ sketch books on top- okay, it was more like eight, but still. Goldie barely glanced at the desk, noting that it too had a few sketchbooks sitting on it, as well as a cherry wood antique box and a tabletop easel.

Studio art student, Goldie surmised, turning his gaze back to his own side of the room with a gleeful grin. It was the same room he'd had last year, and he even got his bed from last year too. Better yet, there was no Foxy leaving stuff around on _his_ side of the room, in _his_ objects' designated spots and blaming _him_ when Goldie's music stand got in his path.

Goldie went back to the common room and grabbed his suitcases, dragging them into the room before doubling back for the bag and stand. He settled down next to the bed and pulled his drawers open, sorting his clothes into their proper places; underwear and socks on the bottom left, sleepwear on the bottom right, shirts in the top left, and pants in the top right. Sure, this meant he'd have to open all four of them every day but at least then he wouldn't be like Foxy or Bonnie, having to pull everything out to look for that single pair of clean socks buried under everything else somewhere in the black hole of their drawers.

It only took him twenty or so minutes to have everything ready; his blue sheets and violet comforter neatly made up on his bed with his two navy blue pillows at the top, his suitcases neatly stacked at the end of his bed, and his music stand proudly sitting next to his desk beside the door. His bookbag was leaning against the bed, as he still needed to buy his books. He didn't dare put his suitcases on the metal shelf; he had paid the price for _that_ the year before, and he would claim to anyone who listened that he still had nightmares about bear-eating suitcases falling from the sky to sabotage his homework.

He looked around, satisfied, and headed back to the common room. Alfred was standing there, waiting, with a quizzical expression on his face. "Something wrong, Al?" Goldie asked him, frowning a bit.

"My roommate had these pitch-black curtains over the window," Alfred told him, not bothering to answer the question. "He asked me not to open them during the day, too, and leave something out on the doorknob to let him know they're open…"

"Photosensitivity," Goldie guessed with a shrug. "I get the feeling my roommate is distracted easily, he seems to have abandoned unpacking to do something else. Like he had somewhere to be."

"Probably buying his books before the rush," Alfred suggested. "Probably smart."

"Yeah, let's go get the others and get over to the bookstore," the elder brother agreed, and the two bears left the dorm room and went across the hall to room 2B.

Alfred knocked at the door. It was only a moment or two before their middle brother answered, an amused expression on his face. "This time, I am not the hold up," he stated almost proudly as he looked back over his shoulder. Then he stepped aside, letting his brothers see what was going on.

In one hand, the purple rabbit held his guitar. In the other, he held the guitar's display stand. He was walking around the common area, looking for the perfect place to set it. He seemed to be on his third circuit around the room, if Foxy holding up three fingers from his place by the right bedroom door was any indication.

"Why doesn't he just put it in your guys' room?" Alfred questioned, raising a brow as the bunny paused in a corner and seemed to debate putting it there before shaking his head and moving on.

"No space," was the simple response.

"Hey Bonnie!" Goldie called, getting the rabbit's attention. "Just stick it somewhere for now and let's get to the bookstore to get our materials. It's almost three o'clock, you know that means the rush is about to happen."

Bonnie looked conflicted for a moment before sighing and setting the stand down between the bedroom doors. After making sure the stand was secure, he set his precious red-and-white guitar down on it.

Goldie let his gaze shift to the right, where Foxy was taping a note to the door. "Foxy, what in the hay are you doing?"

"Puttin' up a note for Mike Schmidt, so he knows which room's available," the fox answered with a grin. "Don't want him walkin' into the bear's den."

"So instead you'll lead him into the fox's den," Goldie snorted. "Come on, let's get going."

"Let's swing by the girl's dorm first," Bonnie suggested as he grabbed his wallet off of the coffee table. "I already texted Chica. We can walk Chica, Chick, and Vixy over there, maybe we'll even see my brother along the way."

"Brother?" Alfred raised a brow. "Your brother's attending here now?"

"Yeah, he finally got the transfer," Bonnie confirmed, nodding. "Only took him all of spring semester and the summer…"

"Heh, cool. About time we get to meet him in person."

Goldie hummed a bit as they walked, taking the stairs since the elevator was in high demand at the moment, and when they walked down the front steps of the dorm house, they hooked a right through the grass and past the trees separating the two dormhouses. When they caught sight of the girls' dormhouse's porch, they saw that there were four people standing there; two yellow chickens, a white and pink fox, and a bright blue rabbit. Goldie just barely recognized the rabbit from Bonnie's photographs, and he wondered for a moment why he was at the girls' dorm. Then he realized why.

"Chica!" Freddy called out, getting the attention of the chatting four. The blue rabbit's eyes lit up when he spotted Bonnie.

"Bonnie!" The blue rabbit leapt down the front steps and dashed over to the larger bunny, who was quick to scoop the shorter rabbit up into a tight hug that lifted him off of the ground.

"Bonsai!" Bonnie laughed, grinning practically from ear to ear. Not that Goldie could blame him; he was sure that, had he been separated from his own twins for years and then was reunited, he'd be the happiest bear in the world.

Goldie gave a grin. "So you're the fabled Bonsai, huh? Nice to finally meet'cha!"

Bonnie set the blue bunny down, and the blue bunny straightened his shirt. He gave the golden bear a grin. "That's right! You guys must be, um, those people Bonnie keeps mentioning in emails. Don't tell me, lemme guess…" He scanned over the boys and started pointing at each one. "Dark brown fur, you're Freddy. Lighter rosier fur, you're Alfred. Golden fur, you're, um… Frederick, yeah? Red fox, totally Foxy."

"Call me Goldie," Goldie told him with a grin. "But good job, I'm surprised Bonnie referred to me by my first name."

"I find your nickname strange," Bonsai admitted with a shrug and sheepish grin. "Who calls someone _Golden Freddy_ as a nickname, anyway?"

"All of our classmates," Goldie deadpanned, causing the others to snicker and laugh. "It's not funny, I'm the oldest. If anything he should be Brown Frederick."

"Golden Freddy has a better ring," Freddy stated matter-of-factly.

"Plus, two out of three triplets has brown fur and one has gold? One of these things is not like the others~" Alfred sang, eliciting more laughs and a grin from Bonsai.

"So how did you guys all meet, anyway?" Bonsai asked as they started towards the bookstore. "From what I understand, not all of you were even friends until high school or something."

"Middle school, but yeah. We all bonded over our mutual twin-ness," Foxy answered with a grin. "Though I'm the only one, 'sides Chica and Chick, with a twin sister," he added, although none of them were blind; it was obvious when they first saw the blue rabbit up close that he was transgender, something Bonnie had never mentioned to them before. Goldie had a feeling Foxy had only added him being the only one from a male-female twin set as a way to assure Bonnie's brother that they were fine with it, that they recognized his identity.

It seemed to work, as Bonsai relaxed slightly and gave a grin. Goldie hadn't even noticed the rabbit was tense. Must have been nerves, he decided. "Mutual twin-ness? What does that even mean?" The bunny laughed, glancing up at Bonnie.

"There aren't a lot of twins in Cayden," Freddy answered before Foxy or Bonnie could. "And then you had us Fazbear triplets. We were really close, but, you know, it's one thing to be close to your brothers and another to be close to the other kids. Which, well, we weren't."

"None of them exactly saw us as individuals," Alfred added with a frown. "Frederick was as good as Freddy was as good as Alfred. Only, Freddy was a little smarter and a little nicer and looked a lot like me at the time, you'd almost think we were identical. They even started calling Goldie _Golden Freddy_ because he didn't look like us."

"So it was pretty lonely, in our circle of three," Goldie concluded with a sagely nod. "No one to talk to but the people we lived with and we didn't even have our own identities, really. But then Foxy and Vixy moved to Cayden, and they were twins too even if they look absolutely nothing alike."

"Because those three knew how it feels to have twins, we immediately gravitated towards them," Foxy continued with the story. "The other kids treated us not very nicely, because, ah, I'm sure Bonnie told you about our hands and eyes..."

When Bonsai nodded, Vixy continued in her much softer voice, "Goldie, Freddy, and Alfred treated us really nicely, despite that. They were really lonely and we were too, in a new town with a new family, so we were glad to be welcomed so easily into even a small circle. We were in fifth grade, the tail-end of elementary school."

"I came in sixth grade," Chica picked up. "I lived in Cayden my entire life, but I'd gone to a different elementary school, so when I went to this middle school I was a bit alone. I had also just discovered I was actually adopted, and I had a twin sister living in California. We connected online, but we never met in person until we came to college. Until then, though, the others had welcomed me into their little group of twins, even if I was a twinless twin."

"Halfway through seventh grade, as you already know, our parents and I moved to Cayden," Bonnie told Bonsai. "I was pretty bitter over the whole "separation" thing our parents did so I was a bit harder to approach… but Chica didn't give up. I don't think the others warmed up to the idea until they found out I had a twin too, then they were all gung-ho for it. Eventually I joined the circle, too. And in ninth grade, Chica and I started dating-"

"-and we still are to this day," Chica added, holding onto her boyfriend's arm happily as she received a warm look from the purple rabbit. Goldie mock-gagged.

"And that brings it up to me," Chick giggled, smiling kindly at Bonsai. "I didn't know I had a twin sister until Chica e-mailed me. I didn't believe her at first but then I asked my parents and they told me everything, and so Chica and I started talking. When we were sophomores, Chica told me she and her friends had decided to all go to the same college here is Preston, and I decided to join them, so here I am now, united with the sister I hadn't even known existed on the opposite coastline!"

Bonsai had listened quietly and respectfully as they told the story, taking turns and transitioning into each other's sections as though they were all of one mind. He grinned after they finished. "Quite a story. What's the likelihood of it, huh?"

"Not very high," Chica and Chick chorused, and then started giggling together as they realized they had spoken in unison. Such a stereotypically-twin thing to do!

The group of friends reached the door to the bookstore at that moment, and without hesitance the group split up so it was easier to maneuver around people. The music section of the store was in the back left corner, so Goldie began making his way there. It was while he was going through the aisle where the artbooks were at that he saw _him._

He stopped in his tracks, eyes widening in shock at what he saw. There was a golden rabbit standing there, looking through an art book with a peculiar expression on his face, brow scrunched together as though trying to figure something out. But that wasn't what had _really_ shocked the bear.

The rabbit was very tall for a rabbit, although most of his extra height seemed to be his ears, which were large and at least a foot long. But more importantly than the rabbit's height or ears were the sheer amount of scars that covered him, from the tips of his ears to the tips of his fingers, running in jagged, thin but noticeable lines down his neck to his arms, across his cheeks, even across one of his eyes and up his ears- his ears where the right one _abruptly ended_ an _entire quarter short_ of its complete length, like something had, not very neatly, lopped it off.

Goldie quickly backed away from the intimidating rabbit and hurried down the next aisle to get to the music supplies. Normally scars wouldn't bother him- Foxy and Vixy both had their fair share of scars and the were even missing a hand and an eye each. But that rabbit had more scars on one arm than the two foxes had on their entire bodies, and Goldie couldn't help but feel like he wanted absolutely nothing to do with that rabbit or whatever it was he was getting into.

It wouldn't be _that_ hard to avoid him, though. Judging by the book he was looking at, he was obviously a studio art student; complete opposite side of campus from the music center, across the pond even. Yes, Goldie figured he wouldn't see that rabbit again, and if he did, it would only be from the corner of his eye in the cafeteria or the dormhouse. Nothing so terrifying as coming face-to-face with the Franken Rabbit.

It'd be a piece of cake.


	2. Arc I, Part II

**Arc I, Part II**

 **The Start of the Rest of Our Lives**

He didn't mention the rabbit to the others. He knew that they wouldn't understand from just a description, and he _really_ didn't want a lecture from Freddy on judging people on their appearances again. Goldie couldn't help it, though; the scars had to come from _somewhere_ , and he was damn sure they didn't come from falling out of a tree as a child.

When the books were all paid for, the group made their way back to the dormhouse, the golden rabbit from earlier easily slipping out of his mind as he joked and laughed with his brothers and friends.

"So where do we wanna eat tonight?" Bonnie asked all of them, casually leaning against Freddy's shoulder as they walked.

"I dunno," Goldie hummed, glancing at the sky. "We could go to that cafe near downtown that Chick likes so much."

"We could," Freddy agreed.

"Or we can go to an actual restaurant?" Alfred suggested hopefully, raising a brow at his brothers. "It's our first night back in town, you don't _really_ want to go to a _cafe_ of all places, do you?"

"I agree with Alfred," Bonsai said. "Cafes are good and all, but they're more of a snack place than a meal place."

"You won't be saying that when our performances come up in December," Foxy warned the blue rabbit, and the others all groaned when the fox mentioned December. Bonsai raised a brow, clearly asking what was the big deal. "You have different performances for _each class._ Drama students have to perform a monologue, take a written exam, write a short play, and we even have a winter show."

"Us musicians have to write a ten-minute piece, perform on an instrument _and_ sing, go through, like, ten different scales forwards, backwards, alone, and as a group, and we also have a winter show," Alfred added to Foxy's warning. "It's really stressful and hectic."

"That's why I've already started writing mine!" Goldie joked with a laugh, heading upstairs with his friends. The group split up at the doors, and Goldie went to his room. There was still an abandoned suitcase laying on the other bed, untouched, so Goldie knew his roommate hadn't been back. The bear sat down on his own bed and unceremoniously dumped his books into his bookbag, deciding he'd organize it after dinner. He glanced around the room, looking for any hint at who his roommate might be- he himself had a picture on his nightstand of him with all of his brothers- but there was not a photograph anywhere.

He dismissed it without much thought and stood up, heading over to the door. As he was reaching for the doorknob, though, the door was suddenly pulled open, and Goldie came face to face with the rabbit.

Both of them froze, one of the rabbit's hands still on the knob and the other holding a precarious stack of art books. A few awkward seconds ticked by before the rabbit slowly backed up and side-stepped, allowing the bear to pass him with quite a bit of distance between them. Goldie was, admittedly, grateful for that and hurried from the bedroom. He heard the bedroom door click shut behind him as the rabbit went inside, and Goldie let out a breath as he waited for his brother.

"Wonderful," he muttered to himself, leaning against the wall. It had to be that rabbit, didn't it? Oh well, Goldie decided after a few moments. It wasn't like he'd be in there a lot; he would probably spend most of his time with his brothers and friends in Freddy's room. He wouldn't even see his roommate all that often.

He just had to sleep in the same room as him.

...

Goldie grimaced, considering asking Alfred to switch rooms with him, but when Alfred came out of his own bedroom laughing, he knew his youngest triplet wouldn't agree. He seemed like he was already getting along with his "strange" roommate. Oh well.

"Hey, Goldie, you'll never _believe_ what Marion just told me," Alfred laughed as he approached his brother.

"Save it for dinner, Al," Goldie told him with a grin, acting as naturally as possible. "It gets less funny the more you tell the story."

"I guess that's true," Alfred agreed with a dramatic sigh. "Woe is the comedian, hm?

"Yep! Now let's go before Chick murders us with a spork."

"A spork?"

"Yes. A spork. Sporks are very dangerous, after all."

"Only in your world, Goldie."

* * *

 _New PoV  
_

It had been a shock to his system when he opened the door just to come face-to-face with the bear. He hadn't been afraid, of course, _he_ had no reason to be afraid even of a bear, but it was still rather shocking.

What wasn't shocking was how the bear's eyes widened and the way he _looked_ at the rabbit. It was a look he was familiar with. He was very, very aware that he was rather… intimidating, to put it nicely. But he didn't mind. He'd gotten much of the same reaction from most people he had ever been forced to interact with, so it wasn't like this would be any different.

However, he couldn't help but wish that he had chosen to room with Marion instead. At least Marion knew him and could be considered somewhat of a friend… or as close to a friend as the rabbit would allow himself to have. They already knew some of each other's stories, even, so their little ticks and quirks would have been easily accepted by the other… Oh well, too late to change his mind now. He sighed softly, catching one of his books as it fell fro the top of the stack.

His green eyes flicked over the left side of the room as he crossed to his own bed, noticing the music stand next to the door. Music major, then. _Wonderful_.

He dropped his books down on his bed and quickly unpacked. He didn't have much with him, only two week's worth of clothes that he would just wash when the time came, so it was quick to finish up what he had been distracted from. When that was done, he pulled an old, faded photograph in an old cherry-wood frame out of his bag and gently set it on his nightstand, looking at it for a few moments.

The photo was old. Old enough to be faded, and there were seven people standing there. Or, there _were_ seven people standing there, but an ugly, angry rip on the right side of a female ebony rabbit marked the place a third person would obviously have stood. Could even see a bit of foot at the bottom... He had been meaning to mend the tear for years, but had never gotten around to it. He didn't have the time or the heart to fix what he'd done.

In the photo, there were five rabbits- three adults, two children- and an adult canine of some kind. The yellow canine had an arm looped around the ebony rabbit's shoulders, and another ebony rabbit- male- stood with his arm around a yellow rabbit, who was holding the smaller child. He looked no more than five years old. The taller child was standing in front of the male rabbit, reaching up to the younger but not quite able to reach. Both children were noticeably gold and scar-free, even with how faded and sun-exposed the photograph was.

The photo always made him smile. It was such a happy photo of a happier time, and he really wished he had taken better care of it. However, his eyes trailed over to the rip and his smile turned into a frown. Of course, maybe not such a happier time after all…

He turned his gaze away and began neatly packing everything away into his bookbag, then he grabbed a narrow blue case lying, unnoticed, across his bed, and he left the room.

He was at school. Might as well make use of it.

* * *

 _Normal PoV  
_

"...and that was when she realized she was talking to the wrong person."

Goldie was laughing with his friends again, his uncomfortable encounter with the rabbit all but forgotten as Alfred told them about his. "Seriously? It took her that long?"

"Yeah!" Alfred laughed, lightly nudging Goldie. "Ya know, he's a pretty cool guy, all weirdness aside."

"You say that as if we're not _all_ weird," Foxy pointed out with a grin from where he sat across from Alfred at the large round table.

"True, true," Alfred agreed with a mock thoughtful look.

Goldie chuckled and exchanged a look with Freddy on his left side. Freddy, although he had been laughing, had already turned to a new conversation with Bonnie and Chica. Foxy and Alfred continued their bantering while Bonsai and Chick just watched, amused, and Vixy seemed to be texting someone. _'Probably Endie,'_ he silently said to himself. He turned his own attention back to the fox and bear, deciding he had nothing better to do than watch his brother and friend banter.

He let his thoughts wander to the music he had started writing two weeks before, to get ahead on class. It was an upbeat, fast-paced number so far, but he wasn't really sure where he wanted to take it. Did he want to tell a story with it? Or maybe he wanted to just retain the upbeat vibe… or maybe switch it up, or even-

"When I went to my room, that Mike lad was there," Foxy's voice suddenly cut through Goldie's thoughts, getting the bear's attention. He was addressing Alfred, Bonsai, Vixy, and Chick, but Goldie knew it was just a general statement for them all. "Quiet lad, human too. Black hair, blue eyes, very pale like he doesn't go out much. But nice enough, I guess. I think he's mute, he was usin' a notepad to communicate when I spoke to him."

"Your roommate is a human, too?" Alfred's lips turned up into a grin when Foxy gave a nod. "Wow, two of us with human roommates. Cool."

"What's so cool about humans?" Bonsai asked, looking legitimately confused. "They're literally everywhere."

"Yeah but do you know how rare it is for schools to put Humans and Animals in the same dorm together?" Alfred turned his blue-eyed gaze to Bonsai as he asked. "It's completely unusual and in most schools it's unheard of."

"They probably didn't have enough dorms or humans to put them with other humans," Foxy added thoughtfully, glancing at the ceiling and messing with his prosthetic hand. "But I wonder why they weren't put in a dorm together."

"That's really stupid," Bonsai declared, crossing his arms. "Why would they separate people like that?"

"Well, honestly the likelihood of them putting predator and prey animals together- like Freddy and Bonnie, for example- is very low too," Chick told Bonsai with a small, almost sad smile. "More often than not they'll only do that by request, which is why Vixy gets to be in our room, and Bonnie with Foxy and Freddy." She paused and hummed a bit. "Thinking about it, the reason they put this "Mike" in with them was probably under the expectation that the predators would share a room, and the prey animal would share with the human…"

"That doesn't explain them putting a human with us," Alfred pointed out.

"Actually it does," Goldie cut in, trying not to dwell too much on the thought of his roommate. "My roommate's a rabbit, too."

"But _why_ would they separate people like that? We're all civilized," Bonsai cut in again with a scowl. "It's not like anyone's going to attack another!"

"Some prejudices take longer to get past," Chick sighed. "We all know it's safe, but the older generations- like who's running this school- still remember when Animals were considered a threat and kept separate from humans at all times. I guess they also think there's a problem with the whole predator-prey thing... even though we've evolved separately from our ancestor animals..."

"That's so stupid," Bonsai groaned, rubbing his forehead. "But it explains why they put me with you guys," he added quietly, glancing at the girls. There was a short, almost awkward silence, and Goldie realized Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica had stopped to listen too.

"Old people need to get with the times," Bonnie scoffed finally, breaking the silence. It worked to help relax the suddenly tense atmosphere, and Chica let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah," the larger chicken agreed with a frown. "Things are different than when they were kids."

"Isn't it kind of, I don't know, illegal to separate people like that?" Vixy asked, looking at her brother. "I thought some law about that was passed forty years ago."

"Laws only work if they're enforced," Foxy reminded her. "This school is pretty, ehh, elite. If anyone's reported it then the school could easily just, y'know… sweep it under the rug."

"I find it funny that they thought I'd room with Foxy when I specifically indicated Bonnie," Freddy added thoughtfully. "Sorry, Foxy, but you _were_ under my brothers on that list."

"That's alright," Foxy waved it off. "I'm just wondering now how the rooming thing happened if you had requested Bonnie and your brothers and not me."

"They don't always grant your requests," Goldie pointed out. "I mean, I only got _one_ person I listed."

"They probably assumed you two, being brothers, would room together."

"Even if we wanted to, we wouldn't have been able to, both rooms were already claimed."

"That is still the most stupid thing I've ever heard," Bonsai muttered, glaring off to the side.

"We know, Bonsai, we know."

"So, your roommate is a rabbit?" Foxy asked suddenly, directing the attention to Goldie. Everyone looked at him expectantly, and Goldie winced slightly at the sudden attention. So much for not dwelling.

"Ah, yeah," he said as nonchalantly as possible. "He's in the studio art program, I think. He's got sketchbooks everywhere. Thankfully on his side of the room and not mine," he added, shooting Foxy a look. Foxy only gave a feral grin in return.

"What's he like?" Bonnie asked curiously, tilting his head slightly. "There aren't a lot of rabbits on campus."

"Uh… well, he's intimidating," Goldie deadpanned, getting a disapproving look from Freddy. "He's almost as tall as you, if we're counting his ears and not yours." He paused briefly to think of the rabbit he had nearly run straight into going through the door earlier. He hadn't really noticed _that_ much about him, to be honest... minus his height and the scars. "Well, one of his ears, anyway. The other looks like its tip was cut off. Without his ears he's around my height." That was something he couldn't help but notice; he had been face-to-face with the rabbit after all, neither of them slouching or with bowed heads.

"He must have really big ears, then," Bonnie commented, raising a brow at the golden bear uncertainly. The purple rabbit was nearly a foot taller than Goldie and Freddy, after all.

"He does," Goldie confirmed. "They're bigger than your ears, actually, and I always thought you had really big ears."

"So he's tall for a rabbit," Freddy interrupted suddenly, and Goldie nodded in agreement, not minding Freddy's interruption in the least. Goldie and Freddy were the same height- around six foot two- and Bonnie was just over seven feet tall. Bonsai, on the other hand, was barely five foot six, which was the average height for rabbits regardless of gender. Yes, tall for a rabbit… but not Bonnie-tall.

Thank goodness. He was sure he'd have had a heart attack if he had been.

"So you're saying his ears are like a foot long?" Bonsai asked, furrowing his brow and obviously seeming uncertain about Goldie's word.

"Uh, I guess? I don't know. I mean I didn't really _observe_ him, it was more of a "let me get out of here as fast as possible" type thing…" That was the wrong thing to say. Goldie could tell by the way his brothers' brows scrunched up, the way Foxy's eyes narrowed slightly, the way Bonsai shifted in his seat uneasily, how the corners of Bonnie's mouth turned down in a tense little frown, the way Vixy's ears flattened, the way the chicken sisters glanced warily at each other. Oh boy.

"Goldie..." Freddy started, his tone warning.

"Hey, I'm fine being his roommate," Goldie immediately defended, putting his hands up in a placating gesture. "But just because I'm his roommate does not mean I have to be his friend. I don't want to get involved in whatever he's doing."

"No one's telling you to be his friend, but you shouldn't judge him just on how he looks," Bonnie scolded Goldie, his frown deepening slightly.

"You guys would understand better if you actually saw him." Goldie knew they wouldn't understand even if they _did_ see him; they just couldn't. Especially the fox siblings, who themselves had scars. But this was different. They wouldn't understand that, though. He wished that he had just left it at a vague description of "he's a studio art student."

The others exchanged weary glances and shook their heads, returning to their meals. The next time someone spoke, it was Vixy.

"You know, Goldie, if you judge everyone on appearances, you're going to miss out on the best times."

At that moment, Goldie didn't know just how true her words were. At that moment, Goldie didn't know how much his life would change. At that moment, Goldie dismissed her words without a second thought. At that moment, they meant nothing.

* * *

After an evening full of videogames and meeting the humans his brother and friend were rooming with (both of whom were _very_ interesting; one mute and the other quiet but observant), Goldie had taken a shower and collapsed onto his bed, snuggling into the blanket. His roommate wasn't there at the moment, which was a huge relief to Goldie, but he didn't think much on it.

He reached over to the alarm clock that he had set earlier that afternoon and switched it to "on." He dropped his arm back on the bed and promptly fell asleep, his body and mind exhausted from the day of moving in and spending time with friends.

When he next woke up, it was to a very soft alarm that, had he not been expecting an alarm, he normally would not have heard. He opened his brown eyes a bit, looking through the blurriness towards his clock to see it was only five-thirty in the morning, an entire hour and a half before he was supposed to wake up. His gaze slid across the room, to the other bed, where the golden rabbit shifted before pushing himself into a half-laying half-sitting position, propped up by his right arm.

In his sleepy haze he couldn't help but notice how _fluffy_ the rabbit was as he reached over to turn the alarm off. His fur was messy, especially the thicker, longer fur on top of his head and on his ears, and even in the bear's blurred eyes, he could tell that the rabbit had much longer fur than he had first thought... of course, he hadn't paid _that_ much attention before... He wondered briefly why the rabbit didn't use his fur to cover his scars, but the thought slipped away before he could really ponder it. He was way too tired to wonder about his intimidating roommate, who seemed very… not intimidating at the moment.

He watched silently as the rabbit slid out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he did so, and wander out of the bedroom door, his ears floppy and posture rather slouched, movements slow. He was obviously very sleepy, and a brief thought of _why does he wake up at this ungodly hour_ crossed the gold bear's mind. The rabbit was clearly very tired.

Then again, so was Goldie. As the door to the common room quietly closed behind the rabbit, Goldie let his own eyes slide shut, and he was asleep again within moments.

When his alarm rang, obnoxiously loud, at seven, he had no memory of the early waking. Instead he jerked awake, for some reason not having expected his alarm to be so loud, and roughly slammed his hand down on the "silence" button. He groaned and forced himself out of bed, glancing over at the other bed and seeing the rabbit was already gone and the bed was neatly made. Part of him wasn't surprised, and that _did_ surprise him.

He dropped down next to the bed to dig through his drawers for clothes, grabbed his bag of toiletries that he hadn't yet set up, and made his way to the bathroom. He turned the light on and glanced around. There was a double sink in the bathroom, and he could see that the right side of the counter, pressed against the wall, already contained someone else's handsoap (milk and golden honey scented, he dully noticed; kind of girly if you asked him, but hey, no one _did_ ) and a blue rag, laying folded innocently beside the right sink. Goldie passed the claimed half to the unclaimed half and set his bag there, too tired to deal with it at the moment. He'd set his side of the counter up after his shower.

He showered quickly and toweled his fur off the best he could. He knew when winter came he'd have to dry it completely before going outside, but right then the mornings and nights were still warm so he had nothing to worry about as he pulled on a button-up purple shirt and set his violet hat on top of his head. He grinned at himself in the slightly-fogged mirror, deciding he looked perfectly like a slightly-aloof gentleman, and left the bathroom. Alfred was shuffling around the common room, looking sleepy as he always did in the morning, his own button-up buttoned incorrectly and his hat sitting slightly askew.

"Al," Goldie laughed, approaching his youngest brother, "you need to fix your shirt and your hat, you look like you've spent the night with a _friend._ "

Alfred scowled at his oldest brother and gave him a light shove, barely moving the larger bear. "You're stupid, Gold," he grumbled with a slight glare, but he went back into the bathroom to do as suggested.

"But right," Goldie countered, returning to his room to grab his bag from where it sat at the foot of his bed. He pretended not to notice that the rabbit was there as well, packing his own belongings, and he pretended not to notice that the rabbit was doing the same as he himself was; very purposefully avoiding looking at him. He pulled his bag onto his shoulder and turned around, not even glancing to the other side of the room when the rabbit accidentally knocked over the precarious stacks of sketchbooks at the end of his bed, and headed back into the common room to his, much neater looking, brother. "Come on, you know Mr. Hugh will skin us if we're late on the first day."

"Teachers don't care about the first day," Alfred shot back, softly closing the door to the pitch-black room behind him. "Most classes end early the first day, remember?"

"Yeah but Mr. Hugh can get pretty over dramatic for a music teacher," Goldie retorted, grinning as he headed out the door with Alfred. "Remember what he did to Bonnie last year when he was hardly two minutes late?"

"It wasn't that bad, Bonnie could have written an entire ten more pages on the homework if he had to," Alfred pointed out with a laugh. The smaller bear gave a single, but heavy, knock on their friends' door, and it took only a moment for Freddy to answer, his strap slung over his shoulder, across his chest, and his bag resting on his hip. "Hey, you guys ready? All four of us have Mr. Hugh's composition first thing in the morning."

"Even worse," Bonnie called over, coming up from behind his friend, "is that we have Mr. Hugh two class periods in a row. Composition and _performance._ "

"That isn't so bad," Goldie said with a shrug while Alfred winced. "I mean, during the break between the two classes we can get a jumpstart on next class' work."

"I've heard Mr. Hugh is _really_ particular when it comes to the performance class though," Alfred mentioned with an uneasy smile. "Composition is one thing but if we can't play it or sing it right, he'll have our tails and put them on his wall."

"They said that about Mrs. Tall too, but she wasn't so bad," Goldie argued as the four musicians began walking down the hall. It was a friendly argument, though; all of them really liked Hugh Garrett, probably the most popular music teacher at the school. He was nice, but he was serious about music, which was something Goldie could appreciate. "Besides, I'd rather have someone to correct us when we're wrong than, you know, let it be and let judges tear us apart at a performance."

Each of them shuddered as that unpleasant highschool memory crossed their minds. "That was the most horrible thing I've ever experienced," Freddy sighed, holding the door open for his friends when they reached the front doors. "How embarrassing!"

"At least none of us were actually called out," Alfred grimaced, hitching his bag further up on his shoulder. "Remember Mickey? Poor guy was so embarrassed that he tried to drop out of the group. Took all of us to convince him to stick to it…"

"Speaking of Mickey, doesn't he have a record label now?" Goldie asked, furrowing his brow in thought. "I sorta lost track of him after he graduated…"

"He signed a deal earlier this year, yeah," Bonnie confirmed, nodding his head very slightly. "With Dante Studios, I believe... Really popular with the middle and high school crowds right now."

"Never imagined him being one for pop, though."

"Yeah, me neither…"

The friends all shared a grin and hurried along to the music department, Bonsai joining them along the way. Their spirits were high, and they were eager to see what the year had in store for them.

"You know, guys," Goldie started suddenly, throwing an arm around each of his brothers' shoulders and pulling them against him. "I think this year is gonna be awesome!"

His younger triplets just laughed and shoved him ahead, causing him to stumble and catch his balance on Bonnie's arm. "Just don't kill your roommate like you almost did to Foxy," Bonnie teased with a grin. "Killing a friend is one thing, but a stranger?"

The friends all laughed together, except Goldie, who just gave a wry smile. "I doubt this guy would be taken down by a music stand."

"Wouldn't that be quite a headline, though? 'Music Student Accidentally Murders Roommate with Music Stand'!"

"Oh shut up, Bonnie, or else I'll sneak in and leave it in _your_ room so _you_ can trip and die on it."

"Freddy would destroy you if you did~ He likes me better~"

"I'm his older brother!"

"And I'm his best friend, so ha!"

"Brother beats best friend!"

"Not when you have two~!"

Freddy just chuckled from his place beside Goldie, and Goldie glanced over at him just in time to see him shake his head in amusement. The golden bear gave a grin and turned his attention to the building looming in front of them, two stories high. He laughed and looked at his brothers and friends.

"And so begins the rest of our lives!"

"The rest of our lives starts every day, Goldie."

"Oh shut up, Bonnie."

 **Arc I: End**


	3. Arc II, Part I

_Where words fail, music speaks._

Hans Christian Anderson

* * *

 **Arc II, Part I**

 **Springtrap**

"...st year we all went light on you, because you were new here. We eased you into how things are done around here, but now it's time to get serious."

Goldie watched as their teacher, a yellow wolf, paced around the front of the classroom, tapping some sort of stick that _wasn't_ a baton against his palm. The wolf seemed to be working himself up into a frenzy, and Goldie was feeling very lost. _Did he just say last year was easy?_

"Starting today, you will not go a day without practicing. And trust me, I'll know if you haven't practiced. If I were you, I would spend at least half an hour every day working on your instrument and or vocals, and another half an hour writing. Preferably more, but I understand you have other classes you need to do work for and you have social lives and school functions to attend. Just be glad you're not one of my wife's students, she requires them to log in at least six hours in the studio every weekend- that is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at this school, for those new faces I see."

Well that didn't sound pleasant. Mr. Hugh often referenced his wife, and sometimes he would send a student to her with a message or package, though not often. She wasn't a music teacher; her class was not only entirely across campus, but it was across the campus pond, only accessible by a bridge crossing the aforementioned pond. Well, unless you're willing to walk _around_ it and _off campus grounds_ , but the high stone fence surrounding the property really discouraged that. Thankfully, Goldie had never been one of the chosen students.

Freddy had been, though.

"Now, let's go ahead and go over details about the Christmas concert." Goldie perked up immediately, straightening in his seat. "The date isn't confirmed yet, but we know it'll be the week before the holidays begin, so December 12th to December 16th. Just like last year, the Saturday after the concert all students are required to vacate the premises, so if it turns out the concert is on the 16th you better get enough sleep to be gone by noon the next day."

Goldie clenched his teeth at the thought of the Christmas holidays. None of them really fancied going home, but it wasn't like they had much choice. They couldn't stay on campus during the holidays, and none of them exactly liked the thought of staying in a hotel for two weeks. That would get expensive and not very comfortable...

"And, again, for the new faces I see in here, yes; you will get sick and tired of the songs we perform long before the performance."

Finally, the wolf stopped his pacing and turned to face the class, a large grin on his face. "Another thing about the Christmas concert! This year rather than buying props and decorations my wife has kindly offered her and a few of her students' services to create them for us. It'll not only save the school money," the teacher snorted a bit; as if the school needed to save money, Goldie knew he was thinking. That was what they were all thinking. "It'll not only save the school money," Mr. Hugh repeated, "but it'll also add a personal touch to the show. And don't worry, the art students have been making the drama students' performance backdrops for the last twenty years and those are always a success."

Goldie and Alfred exchanged a look. "Maybe I can ask Marion about that," Alfred whispered to Goldie, and Goldie simply shrugged in response before looking back at the teacher.

"Now, something else special for all of the concerts this year," Mr. Hugh continued. "Each of you will write a three minute song, with full instrumentation _and_ vocals, and as a class we will vote on which two we will perform at each concert! Doesn't that sound fun?"

The silent _no_ was _very_ loud in Goldie's mind, but he didn't dare voice it. Instead, like the other students, he gave a weak smile. Two songs chosen from twenty-three students was rather… terrifying, to be honest.

"And, you may have realized that this class goes through next semester as a level up from this one. That means next semester you'll get to use our recording studio. At the end of next semester, you'll have to write a song, lyrics optional, and have it recorded in the studio to present to the class. If you have lyrics, don't worry, you don't have to be the ones singing if you think there's someone better fit for it." Mr. Hugh chuckled, and Goldie had no doubt he was looking at the second years' wide-eyed expressions. Not everyone in the class were aiming to become singers, so the thought of singing their own songs… well. He looked _highly_ amused by it all and Goldie pouted silently.

Mr. Hugh glanced at the clock on the wall and pursed his lips, seeming to be thinking. "Let me pass out our syllabus for this semester and you'll be free to go for today," he finally decided, picking up a stack of papers off of his desk. Goldie paled, unnoticeable due to his fur, as he realized the syllabus was _several_ papers. He was starting to agree with Bonnie; this was _not_ going to be easy.

But that was okay. Goldie didn't mind a challenge, after all. He just needed to still his oncoming heart attack.

When he received the syllabus, he stuffed it into his notebook and shoved it into his bag. He noticed on his right, Alfred was doing the same… but much neater. On his other side, Freddy was being very meticulous, making sure not even an edge poked out of his folder. Bonnie and Bonsai both simply slid the syllabus in their bags and gave each other matching grins.

As soon as the two rabbits and three bears had everything settled, they stood up and headed out the door. "This seems more terrifying than I thought it would be," Bonnie stated once they had left the building, not wanting Mr. Hugh to overhear them and show them _real_ fear. They were all starting to think first year with him was _nothing._

"I'm starting to agree with you," Goldie admitted with a laugh. "I didn't know he'd be so different this year."

"Music is a tough world," Freddy stated matter-of-factly. "It's only to be expected that he's tough with us. Just imagine our last year here."

"I wonder which art students will work with us," Bonsai wondered aloud, getting his brother and new friends' attention.

"I was thinking about asking Marion," Alfred confessed with a sheepish grin. "I'm hoping he might know who the unlucky picks are."

Goldie had opened his mouth to say something when he saw a flash of gold from the corner of his eye. He glanced over and saw his strange roommate making his way towards the music building, without a bag or sketchbook or anything. _What's a studio artist doing over here?_ The golden bear silently asked himself with a frown, and then he looked to his brothers and friends who were still talking about the change in the show, not noticing the golden rabbit pass them.

"Hey guys, I just realized I forgot something, be right back," he suddenly told them, pausing and turning around. He wanted to know why an art student was in music territory.

"Alright, we'll be at the cafeteria," he heard Freddy call to him, and he gave them a wave over his shoulder to let them know he heard. He walked a decent distance from the rabbit, far enough to not be suspicious. It occurred to him after a minute or so that he couldn't exactly be suspicious in the building for his program, but still he stayed a fair distance away.

He was several paces behind the rabbit when the rabbit slipped into the building, and he noticed the rabbit take an immediate right. He opened the door and casually walked down the hall, greeting some of his fellow musicians with a grin.

Ahead, the rabbit paused abruptly at a classroom before knocking a bit. Goldie frowned, wondering why the rabbit was visiting the wolf that he was becoming more and more convinced was absolutely crazy. The rabbit slipped into the classroom when the teacher permitted, pushing the door shut behind him and failing to realize it didn't latch properly, leaving the door slightly ajar. Goldie didn't mind that, it just made eavesdropping much easier.

"You wanted to see me?" The rabbit asked in a surprisingly quiet voice, much different from what Goldie had imagined. Goldie leaned against the wall, pulling his phone out to look less suspicious as he listened in. Freddy and Alfred would verbally flay him if they knew what he was doing, and to be honest if he was them he would too, but he was _curious._ Curiosity killed the cat, sure, but satisfaction brought it back, right?

"Of course!" Mr. Hugh laughed, and Goldie felt slightly miffed that he couldn't actually _see_ into the classroom for ear of being spotted by the teacher, so he couldn't see what was actually _happening_ or what expression his teacher was wearing. "I haven't seen you all summer, Sunny Dee."

"Please don't call me that… and you know I live too far away to visit regularly, Hugh."

"Aw, you loved that name when you were a kid." The wolf's voice suddenly shifted from the joking, teasing tone into a more serious one. "You know Natalie and I worry about you, living in that old house by yourself."

There was a sigh, and the rabbit's voice was less soft and more harsh. A little closer to what Goldie had imagined it to be like, though not quite there... "You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine being on my own. Just worry about finding Plushie and bringing him home, that's what's important."

There was a beat of silence, and Goldie could feel the awkward air even out in the hallway. Mr. Hugh finally broke the silence. "Durrell, you know-"

" _Don't call me that._ "

Goldie felt a chill run through him as the hiss reached his ears. Some people passing the classroom glanced through the window, confused at the angry sound, but didn't stick around to learn more. Goldie wanted to join them, but he didn't. _Okay, yeah, I still want nothing to do with this guy. Scary as hell and now sounds like he has issues._

"You know I hate that name." The voice was soft again, as though it hadn't just sounded like he would attack the teacher.

Another sigh. "I'm sorry, Dee, I know you do but I refuse to call you by that vile nickname."

"And I refuse to respond to that vile name. You know this."

"Sorry." There was another moment of silence, and Goldie had a feeling he was missing something. He could only hear them, he couldn't see them after all.

Then there was a sudden yelp. "H-hey!" The rabbit laughed, sounding as though he was struggling. "Let me go!"

"Nah-ah, Sunny Dee, not until you give me a real smile!"

"Lemme go!" The voice pleaded, still laughing, and Goldie could imagine the rabbit trying to escape the predator's grasp. "Please?"

"Smile! I can tell you want to!"

Goldie listened to the laughter for a few moments, wondering just what in the world he had missed. Then the laughter tapered off, and Mr. Hugh heaved another sigh, this one sadder than the others. "What happened to that sunny boy, Dee?"

"He grew up, faded, and died."

"Oh don't be so dramatic, Dee, you're not dead yet, and I still hold out hope." Dead silence. The silence, more tense than before, hung between them for several second. It was broken by a sudden beeping inside the classroom, and Goldie fought to not jump at the shrill sound. "Oh, Natalie is paging me, demanding I give her student back now… You know, Dee, you can spend the holidays with us again."

"No thanks, I've… I've got a routine now. I don't want to be so far from home on Christmas."

"You know, you don't need to feel obligated to live in that house…"

"I know."

The voices faded off into silence again, and Goldie chose that moment to slip away and rejoin his friends in the cafeteria. As he walked across campus, he mentally went over everything he had overheard.

Apparently, Mr. Hugh and his roommate were friends. Good enough friends that Mr. Hugh invited him to spend the holidays with him and his wife. He mused briefly on the fact that apparently his roommate was called _Sunny Dee_ by the musician, but then he thought about how the rabbit had reacted to the name Durrell. _Yeah_ , he thought, _issues and danger. I'll stay far away, yeah._

"Goldie!" Freddy called over to him the moment he stepped into the cafeteria. "There you are, what took so long?"

Goldie grinned and went over to his brothers, sitting down across from him and next to Bonsai. "Sorry about that, I had to wait outside for a bit. Mr. Hugh was talking to another student." Not completely a lie, but hey. "Doesn't matter though, turns out the book I was looking for wasn't in there. I must have forgotten it in my room this morning."

Freddy seemed to accept his older brother's excuse and returned to his conversation with the two rabbits, but Alfred gave him a strange look from the other side of Bonsai. The elder bear gave a confident grin to the younger, and after a moment Alfred turned his attention to Freddy and the rabbits, though his expression told Goldie that he was still unconvinced.

The golden bear dismissed Alfred's suspicion and only half-listened to the conversation, scanning the cafeteria for the foxes or chickens. He didn't see any of them, so he supposed they must not have gotten out of their own classes yet. With a sigh, he turned back to look at Freddy and Bonnie, watching as the two best friends laughed about something that Goldie himself had missed. Beside him, Alfred and Bonsai were both snickering as well. Goldie blinked owlishly. "Huh? Did I miss something?"

"Don't worry about it, Gold," Bonnie chuckled, giving him a bit of a grin. "We were just talking about what happened this morning."

"This morning?" Goldie furrowed his brow, trying to remember what had happened earlier that morning. It must have happened in their room, nothing was coming to mind. "What happened?"

"Foxy struck again," Bonnie cackled with a wide grin, looking absolutely gleeful. "Apparently he left something next to Mike's bed last night, I guess as a "welcome" prank, but this morning when Foxy got out of bed himself, he tripped over Mike's folded music stand laying on the floor next to _his_ bed, and when he tried to get up he slipped on plastic folders that were randomly scattered and piled around on the floor. It was glorious watching him flail around trying to get up."

"He let out the most god-awful yelp when he tripped. We were already in the common room, so we went to see what was going on," Freddy added with a chuckle of his own. "It was very perplexing at first, but then it became hilarious, even moreso when he finally gave up trying to stand. Eventually Mike meandered out of the bathroom and went to help Foxy up."

"I'm wondering how Foxy will retaliate now," Bonnie mused, still grinning. "Or if he's finally recognized the superiority of the music students~!"

"Foxy's too dramatic for that," Goldie laughed, shaking his head. "He'll definitely retaliate. I imagine he'll put something weird in Mike's bed. Everyone knows humans are kinda squeamish, so maybe he'll put a fake roach in it."

"Arrr, me matey, rubber bugs be too obvious!" Goldie jumped at the sudden voice behind him and looked at the red fox, who was grinning and dressed up as a pirate. The bear raised a brow at him as the others burst out laughing- whether at imagining the fox flailing around or the sight of him with a hook in place of his prosthetic, a patch over his glass eye, and wearing a blue and black captain uniform, Goldie wasn't sure.

"Foxy, your costume rack attacked you again," he deadpanned as the fox plopped down next to him. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"D'ya like it?" Foxy asked with a grin, dropping the accent. "I'm gonna try out for the part of a pirate in this semester's play."

"You guys have already chosen a script?" Freddy raised a brow at Foxy, seeming a mixture of confused and impressed. "That was fast."

"We've been lookin' at scripts for plays all summer, actually," Foxy chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "This semester's play was pretty much chosen before summer was over. It's _next_ semester's that's going to be a pain. We all have to write a play by December, and over the Christmas break we have to read over them all and cast our votes when we come back in January."

"That's not exactly a long time period to write a play," Bonsai pointed out incredulously. "That's only, what… four months? How do you write an entire play that fast?"

Foxy grinned and leaned over in front of Goldie, as if to tell Bonsai a secret. "Anyone who's smart begins writing it in summer. In fact, I'm so smart I began writing it February this year."

Goldie watched as Bonsai's expression morphed from incredulity into a devious grin, and he immediately knew what was coming. "But not smart enough to stand up on your own?"

The bears and Bonnie all burst into laughter as Foxy huffed. "I'll get my revenge," he declared, "Or my name isn't Captain Foxy!"

"But it's not," Freddy laughed, "It's Aiden Fox!"

" _Mr._ Aiden Fox to you, suh!" Bonnie added in a posh but botched English accent, draping his arm over Freddy's shoulders and leaning against him as they laughed together.

"They've got a point, Foxy," Alfred pointed out with a laugh of his own. "Foxy _isn't_ your name- even less _Captain_ Foxy!"

Foxy pouted for a moment before a familiar gleam entered his eye, and he turned to Goldie, grinning. "Frederick, what do you think of Brown Frederick and Browner Frederick being so mean to ol' Cap'n Foxy?"

"Wait, what?" Both of the brown bears abruptly stopped laughing to stare at Foxy as Goldie began laughing harder at their expressions. Bonnie snorted and covered his mouth, glancing away and pretending he didn't notice Freddy glaring at him.

"Well, Frederick _is_ the oldest," Foxy cackled with that gleam in his eye. "Technically, y'all should be named after him instead of him after you!"

"I concur!" Goldie agreed mockingly and laughed even harder. "Brown and Browner Frederick!"

Bonsai snickered and shook his head. "Freddy is a better name than Frederick," he decided after a moment. "Freddy, Alfred, and Fredbear."

Goldie blinked and looked at Bonsai strangely while Bonnie snickered. "Fredbear?"

"Yep. Your name is Frederick and your last name is Fazbear. So smash them together, that's what I'll call you," Bonsai declared with a sagely nod as Goldie's brothers joined Bonnie's snickering. "Seriously, who calls someone a name based on their appearance?" He suddenly huffed. "That would be like calling someone, I don't know, Frankenstein."

"You don't have a problem calling Foxy Foxy," Goldie huffed with a pout, trying to ignore the last statement. He could clearly remember thinking of his roommate as "franken rabbit."

"That's because Fox is his name," Bonsai replied with a shrug. "Very original, by the way."

"Thanks," Foxy drawled with a grin. "Grandpa Eldritch picked it out when we finally got the rights to one."

"Really?" Bonsai blinked in surprise, glancing at Bonnie. "Our family was assigned a name by the city council."

"Yes, and that's really original too," Foxy leered, earning a mock-glare from both of the rabbits. "Hare, really? You guys aren't even hares, you're rabbits."

"We know," the rabbit twins chorused and exchanged an amused grin with one another. "Morons can't tell the difference," Bonsai added.

"That seems to be a pattern," Goldie commented, glancing up at the ceiling. "The Fox family, the Hare family, and us- the Fazbears."

"Based off of a family friend's name," Alfred reminded him. "Remember the Fazbachs?"

"Uh, no? They, uh, died before we can remember? You know, "Aunt" Alicia Fazbach was an only child, never got married and never had kids and died when we were three? You know? Ringing any bells?"

"Goldie, you _know_ what I meant."

"Or _do_ I?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot; you're a moron!"

"Hey! I take offense to that!"

"Good!"

* * *

Goldie walked back into the dorm room later that evening with his youngest brother at his heels, chattering excitedly about… something or other, Goldie honestly just wasn't paying attention anymore. He gave a noncommittal hum every now and then to give the illusion of listening, but honestly he had tuned out ten minutes before when the shorter bear just started rambling.

Freddy happened to be in a class for his creative writing double-program, and Bonsai was with Bonnie, Chick and Chica at the moment. Foxy had an audition, so the oldest and youngest bear triplets were alone, and with no one else to talk to, Alfred had begun talking about anything that crossed his mind. Goldie loved his youngest brother to death, but sometimes he could be really talkative… No wonder he got along with almost everyone. _Brat._

Speaking of almost everyone, Goldie noticed the bathroom door next to his room was closed and the sound of the shower was on. Looked like the intimidating rabbit was in already.

Deciding he didn't care right then, Goldie turned on the television and dropped down on the couch, loosening his bag as he did so. Alfred followed suit and fell quiet as they began watching a concert of some kind. It took them all of five minutes before they suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh god the autotune!" Alfred gasped, leaning against his older brother and wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.

"Where's the band?!" Goldie added, laughing and shaking his brother lightly. "Are the instruments all electronically pre-recorded?!"

"Look! Oh my god! She's lip syncing!"

They devolved into hysterical laughter as the "music" filled the common room, and then both of them pressed their hands over the other's mouth to shut them up, remembering Marion was a night student and was probably still sleeping. After a few moments, Goldie muted the television so both of them could regain their breath and composure.

"Man, the things that count as music these days," Alfred snickered, looking at Goldie. "Do people honestly like that stuff?"

"I guess," Goldie chuckled, stretching. "I think Foxy likes this kind of music, actually."

"Foxy? No way, I thought he was into old-style rock 'n roll."

"Foxy's a jack of trades, remember?" Goldie laughed. "He likes pretty much anything."

"No wonder we never hook his music up in the car."

They both began snickering again, but then Alfred's eyes trailed over to the bathroom door as it opened. His eyes brightened and he grinned. "Hey! You must be Goldie's roommate!"

Goldie turned just in time to see the rabbit jump a foot in the air and step back, slipping on the bathroom's tile and landing, hard, on his butt. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the rabbit; it _was_ a rather comical sight, but he didn't want to earn the rabbit's ire.

The rabbit's fur was rather wet and sticking up in many different directions- probably from his towel- and paired with his green T-shirt and navy pajama pants, it was _quite_ a sight to see. Put that together with the tall rabbit falling on his butt because he was _startled_... well... it was like a Saturday morning cartoon.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" Alfred quickly apologized to the rabbit, jumping up and going over to him and offering him a hand up. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Goldie watched, suddenly tense, as the rabbit looked at Alfred with a strange look in his eyes. It took Goldie a moment to realize that it wasn't a hostile expression; the rabbit's confusion turned into a sheepish smile as he accepted the shorter predator's help.

"It's alright," the rabbit said once he was standing again, and he began to pick up the dirty clothes he had dropped. "I just wasn't expecting it," he added, rubbing the back of his neck and inching towards the bedroom door.

"Hey, wait," Alfred started, and the rabbit stopped moving, glancing over at Goldie then back at Alfred. Goldie couldn't really read what was going through the rabbit's head at that moment, but what surprise was that? He'd never been good at reading people. "Your name is Durrell Franks, right?"

The rabbit's expression twisted into disgust for a moment, and if Goldie hadn't overheard- eavesdropped on- Mr. Hugh and the rabbit earlier, he would have thought that the expression was because of his brother simply talking to him. The rabbit recovered rather quickly though, quick enough that Goldie was sure he only saw it because he was watching the rabbit so carefully. Alfred either missed it or kept it to himself.

"Um… yeah," the rabbit nodded, fidgeting with his hands. "But, um… please don't call me Durrell," he requested with another sheepish smile. "I don't like that name."

"Then what do you want to be called?" Alfred asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Um… I go by Springtrap, actually," the rabbit told him, and Goldie just barely resisted a shiver. Springtrap- what an awful name, he couldn't help but think. But the rabbit didn't seem bothered at all by it.

Goldie couldn't see Alfred's expression, but he could imagine the way his brows drew together in confusion. However, Alfred simply nodded and held out a hand. "Well, nice to finally meet'cha, neighbor! I'm Alfred Fazbear."

The rabbit- Springtrap- seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking the bear's outstretched hand, only just a moment. "Same to you."

It was an awkward exchange, Goldie thought, and the rabbit seemed a little lost, like he wasn't used to this sort of thing. Of course, Goldie realized, he probably wasn't; his appearance probably kept most people at a distance.

There was a moment of silence before Springtrap laughed nervously and said, "I, um, should leave you to your, um…" He didn't seem to know how to excuse himself properly, and he seemed to be scrambling for something to say to finish his statement. His eyes flickered to the television and a strange expression crossed his face, whatever he was about to say promptly forgotten. "Daniela Marcellin?"

Alfred looked over his shoulder at Goldie with a large grin. "Goldie's the one that put it on."

"Wh- hey, you are not pinning the blame on me, she just happened to be on while I was channel surfing!" Goldie immediately defended, pointing accusingly at the remote lying on the coffee table.

"Sure, and it's not because secretly you have a crush on her," Alfred leered, and a very disturbed expression crossed the golden rabbit's features. The rabbit muttered something to himself, too low for Goldie to catch, but based on how Alfred's eyes widened and he whipped around to look at the rabbit, the younger bear had heard it very clearly. "Did you seriously just say that?!" He asked before laughing, causing the rabbit to jump back, startled again. Luckily for the rabbit, this time he caught himself on the doorframe before he could slip on the tiles again.

Springtrap blinked owlishly and looked _extremely_ lost now. Goldie couldn't help but grin slightly at the rabbit and his brother. "Ooh, what did he say, Alfred?" Goldie asked, not wanting to actually _address_ Springtrap directly. The rabbit didn't seem to mind; surprisingly, this seemed to relax him, as though some form of normalcy had been returned to his life.

"He said he'd rather listen to a banshee than Marcellin," Alfred replied with a wide grin. "And, in case you don't know, Goldie, hearing a banshee's shriek means you're gonna die soon."

Goldie's own grin widened, his gaze flicking over to the rabbit. "So you'd rather die than listen to Daniela Marcellin?" He leered, surprising himself with how he was acting towards the rabbit. It was probably because of Alfred's presence, he decided. He was sure he'd regret this later, but that didn't stop him for some reason.

"Pretty much," the rabbit deadpanned, shifting the weight of the clothes in his arms; he was so far ignorant to Goldie's little plot. Goldie's grin widened and he reached for the remote, and Springtrap's own eyes widened as Alfred began laughing harder, both of them instantly realizing what was happening. "Excuse me, I'm going to go suffocate myself now," the rabbit muttered dully to himself, just loud enough for the golden bear to hear, as the shrill, whiny, pseudo-soprano voice filled the common room.

Goldie laughed and watched the rabbit finally slip away to their shared room, noticing that the rabbit closed the door with the knob turned- as if to make no sound at all.

"Turn the volume down before he decides suffocating himself _is_ the better alternative," Alfred laughed, walking back to the couch and sitting down next to his eldest brother. Goldie did as told, bringing the volume down to the low teens setting. "I hope that didn't wake Marion."

"If he's smart, he sleeps with earplugs," Goldie declared, setting the remote down on the coffee table again. "I mean, some people actually _do_ spend time in their dorms, and there are rooms above _and_ below us as well as across and on one side of us… And the other side is a stairwell."

"Heh, at least we don't have the elevator next to us," Alfred snickered, stretching. "Feel sorry for Foxy and Mike."

"Foxy sleeps like a rock."

"I know. Still, gotta be annoying!"

"True that," Goldie agreed with a nod, then he winced as Marcellin sang a very high, out of tune note. Her audience went wild, but Goldie turned off the television instead of allowing himself to suffer anymore. "Hey, you know, I think I've realized why only humans like her. They can't hear the ranges we can!"

"Really? I thought they just didn't have any taste," Alfred laughed along with Goldie. Suddenly, Alfred's phone started beeping and he pulled it out to look at the message. "Freddy's out of class now, he wants us to be ready to go once Foxy's audition is over."

"Huh? Where are we going?" Goldie asked, leaning over the shorter's shoulder to look at the text. Alfred shrugged in response.

"All the text says is _'Out of class. Be ready when Foxy is back. We're going out for dinner.'_ "

"Well if he expects me to drive us, he's gonna hafta tell me 'cause I ain't lettin' him drive my van," Goldie stated matter of factly, standing up with his bag. Alfred nodded in agreement and stood up as well, slinging his own bag over his shoulder again. "Al, grab your early 2000's disc," Goldie called over to Alfred as the younger went into his pitch-black room, and the golden bear opened the door to his own room without waiting for a response. He felt a bit more at ease now that he knew that the rabbit was as easily startled as any other rabbit.

Apparently, Springtrap had found an alternative to suffocating himself to escape the "music" from the television in the common room. He was laying on his stomach on his bed, and he seemed to be doodling with earphones in, his phone lying on the pillow next to his sketchbook. One of his feet was lightly tapping against the bed under him, assumedly to the beat of the music, and he was… humming?

Goldie blinked and listened to the soft humming, which he knew was probably an unconscious action as the rabbit was totally not paying attention to anything. The rabbit seemed very innocent at the moment, and Goldie was starting to think that, maybe, there was no reason to be afraid of Springtrap after all. Maybe he was just another art student after all. Which was, frankly, quite boring.

" _Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow…"_ The humming slowly began to morph into words, and Goldie perked up, recognizing the old country tune. _"Don't worry 'bout what you don't know…"_

Goldie grinned and couldn't help but cut in with, "Life's a dance you learn as you go~!"

The rabbit, just as Goldie expected, jumped yet again from the unexpected interruption, his pencil roughly jerking, leaving an ugly, dark mark diagonally across the scrawled doodles, the lead snapping from the sudden pressure. Springtrap pushed himself up into a sitting position and pulled one of the earphones out, looking at him quizzically and with not just a little curiosity.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Goldie said with a grin and a shrug, not looking at all sorry. "Sorry about your sketch, though." He would have really felt bad if the rabbit had actually been doing something more serious than small doodles, of course, but it was the thought that counted, right? _Eh, whatever_.

Springtrap blinked owlishly at him and then looked at ruined page. "Oh… um, that's okay," he shrugged, flipping the sketchbook to the next blank page. "It happens."

Goldie had been expecting him to say something a bit more, well… not nice without Alfred there. However, he seemed to remain perfectly polite, if a bit fidgety and, dare he say, _timid._ He set his bookbag down and began rooting through his belongings for his keys- he never seemed to be able to keep them in their proper spot.

"So, you listen to country music?" He asked, wanting to break the awkward, fidgety silence that had fallen. Normally he'd have been fine with it, but, well, he _had_ been the one to speak first, and now the rabbit was just sitting there awkwardly, fiddling with his broken pencil.

"Oh, um… I, uh, listen to a lot of different kinds of music," the rabbit informed him, fidgeting slightly. Goldie glanced over at him to see him leaning over the end of his bed, grabbing what looked like a tackle box from behind the suitcase he stored there. "Country is just one of them…"

"Nothing wrong with that," Goldie said with a shrug. Then, getting frustrated, he huffed a bit. "Dammit, where did I put my keys…"

"Um… on your nightstand?"

Goldie blinked and looked at the small table next to his bed, where lo and behold his keys were sitting right next to his alarm clock, looking innocent and like they had been there waiting. "... Oh. Right." He grabbed his keys and stood up, glancing at Springtrap. The sight that greeted him caused _him_ to yelp and jump backwards, knocking his legs against his bed and falling down onto it. "What the- why do you have a knife?!"

Springtrap blinked and looked up at him, an admittedly-small blade in hand, poised above his pencil. "Um… I'm sharpening my pencil," he answered dryly, holding up said pencil to show the broken lead. He did not look impressed. At all. "I'm not going to _stab_ you, you know." He almost sounded bitter.

The golden bear did _not_ want to admit that that _had_ been his first thought, so he forced a nervous chuckle out. "Sorry, just wasn't expecting that," he said quickly in defense, and the rabbit rolled his green eyes and looked back at his pencil, where he slowly began carving the wood out from around the lead. Goldie watched this, brow scrunched up in confusion. "Why don't you just use a pencil sharpener?"

Springtrap didn't even glance up at him this time. "Because I want to expose more lead, not create a fine point. This is a drawing pencil, not a writing utensil."

"Uh… there's… a difference?"

Now the rabbit glanced up at him, though he seemed rather exasperated if the way his brows were raised were any indication. "Of course. You don't honestly think we use HB to draw with, do you? I mean, we do, but we use others too."

"Um, what do you mean?" There were other kinds of pencils? Goldie was starting to think he should have paid more attention in the few drawing classes he'd taken in middle and high school.

"I mean we use varying lead types- from 9H to 9B," the rabbit answered, his concentration back on the pencil and the knife in his hands. "H's are hard, B's are soft. Higher the number, the harder or softer it is. HB is the middle of that scale and is what you use to write. I don't like using H's, though, it gives things too hard of an edge. It's only good for details as far as I'm concerned."

Well, he just learned more about drawing in forty seconds than he had in his entire life, and while he was at it he just learned his roommate's pencil preference. _Huh, never thought I'd say that._

"What kind of pencil are you sharpening then?" He asked curiously, knowing he had most likely offended the rabbit, and he was probably getting on the art student's nerves. The fact that the rabbit didn't even glance at him, yet again, served as evidence.

"3B," was the very short, simple answer. Goldie didn't really know what that meant despite the short lecture, and he didn't really have time to ponder it as Springtrap added, "You know your friends are waiting for you in the common room, right?"

Goldie blinked and finally stood up off of his bed. "Oh, right. Sorry." He headed towards the door and opened it, grinning as the first thing he saw was Freddy with his back to him, all of their friends by the front door. He put a finger up to his lips so none of them would give him away, and he crept out as quietly as he could. Bonnie kept a perfectly neutral expression, but Foxy had to turn to Bonsai and start a conversation in order to hide his growing grin. Chica listened to whatever Freddy was talking about, twiddling her thumbs with a small, growing smile.

Slowly, Goldie crept up behind Freddy, and he let out a soft growl before grabbing his younger brother's shoulders. Freddy let out a strangled, surprised yelp and turned around to promptly deal with his attacker… and landed a hit straight to Goldie's face, shocking the golden bear and sending their friends into hysterical laughter.

"Ow! Freddy!"

"Hey, it's your fault, you know better than to sneak up on me!"

"You didn't have to hit me! Bonnie, do I have clawmarks on my face?!"

"I keep my claws trimmed, unlike some barbarians here!"

"Freddy, that really hurt!"

"Your fault!"

The others were laughing at the argument and shaking their heads, clearly finding this hilarious. None of them answered, yay or nay, Goldie's repeated question of whether or not the hit had left clawmarks on his face. Finally, a bit fed up, Goldie cried, "I'll get an honest opinion, you biased little crooks!" He promptly spun on his heel and marched to his bedroom door- which was still open, and he realized Springtrap had seen what happened and was watching them, brows drawn together and knife stilled above the wood. He didn't let that stop him though. "Hey! Springtrap, do I have clawmarks on my face?"

The rabbit blinked at him and slowly shook his head, his ears twitching as he did so. Goldie nodded in satisfaction and whirled around. "See, was _that_ so hard, guys? Now we can go!"

His friends laughed even more and Freddy huffed as they turned to leave out the door. Goldie followed them, but when he stepped outside, before he closed the door, he looked back in. Both doors were open now, and a human, with pale skin and brown hair, was leaning out of Alfred's room, looking towards the other door. Apparently he had said something because Springtrap got up from his bed and went over to the door, peeking out to look at Marion. The two exchanged a few quiet words, and whatever they said was apparently funny as the rabbit began to laugh. Goldie watched this for a few moments before Springtrap looked over at him, their eyes meeting for the second time in as many days.

There was a beat of silence before Goldie finally closed the door and hurried to catch up with his friends, wondering if the strange duo had been talking about them.


	4. Extras I

**A/N** : I've decided all author notes will go in the Extras chapter. See the end for the A/N.

 **EXTRAS I**

"Hey, Freddy, can you help me tune my guitar?"

Freddy looked up from the book he was reading, across the room towards Bonnie, sitting on his own bed and tweaking with the guitar's tuning knobs. "Huh? What do you mean, you've never needed help tuning that thing before."

The purple rabbit gave him a puppy-eyed pout, drooping his ears just slightly. The expression was downright adorable. "Please?"

Although Freddy found it to be a weird, out of place request, he found that, for some reason, he couldn't deny the rabbit's request. He blamed the puppy-eyes. Heaving a melodramatic sigh, he sat up and slid his bookmark into the pages. "Alright, alright," he chuckled, laying the book on his nightstand. Bonnie grinned and leapt up, crossing the room in hardly a second to drop down next to him.

"Awesome~!" The rabbit sang happily, turning one of his guitar's tuning knobs. "The string broke earlier," he explained, and Freddy nodded in understanding. "Come on, sing, Freddy, so I can match it."

The bear didn't know much about guitars, but he was _pretty_ sure that this wasn't how it needed to be tuned. However, he decided to humor his best friend and lightly hummed, watching as the taller rabbit's fingers worked the knob and plucked at the string.

The rabbit's fur was soft, Freddy already knew that, but he also knew below the fur the rabbit's fingers were rough. There was a point in time, before he got an electric guitar, that the violet rabbit refused to use anything but his own fingers to play. There were many times since their friendship began that he would notice the rabbit's hands patched up, from where he had worked them raw against the chords. He was happy when the rabbit finally gave in and started using a guitar pick, knowing that it would lessen the damage Bonnie's beloved guitar would do to his fingers. When he played acoustic he dropped the pick, but Freddy couldn't really remember the last time he'd seen Bonnie pluck his electric guitar with his bare fingers- it didn't seem very logical to him, but what could he do about it?

"Freddy?" Freddy blinked and turned his attention back to Bonnie, who watched him with a raised brow. It took Freddy a moment to realize he had totally zoned out, so focused on his memories and his thoughts.

"Ah, sorry. I had just noticed you were playing with your hands, not a pick," Freddy explained with a chuckle, and Bonnie laughed softly in amusement. It was a nice laugh, the kind of laugh that was true and gentle. It was Freddy's favourite laugh.

"I'm just tuning it, why would I need my pick?" Bonnie asked with an amused smile. "Or do you actually want me to play it for you?"

"I'm surprised you're even asking that," Freddy scoffed, then smirked slightly at the rabbit. "Usually you play even when we tell you not to."

Bonnie laughed again and nudged him slightly, and Freddy could have sworn- just for a moment- that the contact lasted a bit longer than really necessary. "Aw, c'mon, Freddy, you know you love it when I play."

"I think you're getting me mixed up with Chica," Freddy teased, enjoying the way Bonnie's grin widened with mischief.

"A bit hard to do, huh? I mean, you're pretty terrible at cooking, Freddy!"

"Oh, and the fact that Chica's a _female_ chicken has nothing to do with that?"

"Hmmm, nope."

Freddy rolled his eyes while Bonnie just laughed. "You're hilarious, Bonnie," he drawled sarcastically, but he smiled anyway because, at least to him, Bonnie _was_ hilarious.

"Ah, but you know you love me. Hey, grab my guitar pick and I'll play something!"

With another dramatic sigh, Freddy stood up and walked over to Bonnie's desk. "You're such a lazy bunny," he said mock-seriously, picking up the matching red pick. "You'll never beat the tortoise like this."

"I'm a bunny, not a hare, so that comparison doesn't work," Bonnie pointed out, laughing. He held his hand out and Freddy dropped the pick into his hand, sitting down beside him again. After making sure the strings were all tuned correctly, Bonnie began playing, smiling at his best friend.

It was such a sweet and honest smile, and Freddy _had_ to start singing- if only to try and cover the way his heart suddenly sped up, if only to ignore that weird twist in his stomach.

Those were feelings he did not like. _Maybe_ , he thought, _if I pretend they don't exist, they'll go away._

* * *

 _Three Days Ago..._

His fingers slid over the locks on the brown suitcase, clicking them into place with one swift movement. He sighed to himself and looked around the room he was in. The room was comfortable- walls painted pale blue, the carpet a soft cream colour, two large windows with white curtains, and the doors set in the walls were also white.

The rabbit ruffled the fur on his head and stood up from his seat on the bed, taking one last look around the room. It was sparsely decorated, with hardly any furniture or knick-knacks. A desk was tucked into a corner to the left of the door, covered in notebooks and sketchbooks with his laptop sitting, closed, near the edge. His bed overlapped the two windows; it was a double, the same bed he had slept in since he was just a kit, and it was rather a mess, with the golden coloured sheets wrinkled and the blue comforter pulled almost completely off, hanging over the edge and pooling onto the floor. On either side of the bed were nightstands, one with a lamp and alarm clock on it and the other with a mostly-untouched book and a cherry-wood box. At the end of the bed? Well, honestly he wasn't _quite sure_ what it was; it was like some kind of storage chest with a faded green cushion on top, like a large ottoman. He stored more sketchbooks and his suitcases inside it.

He sighed again and looked at a mirror on the wall, right across from his bed. His reflection didn't bother him- not anymore, anyway. He had long ago come to terms and became comfortable with the scars- they were a part of him after all- and rather than reject them he chose to embrace them, much like his family had. (Sure, they kept most people at a distance, but really, why would anyone want to be friends with someone so shallow? It certainly helped figure out who he could rely on in classes.)

No, What he focused on in the mirror were his eyes; they were such a bright green, and yet they looked so dull at the same time. Almost lifeless. But he could remember how they used to be filled with light and curiosity, how he used to do everything with an energy and excitement that made everyone _else_ excited. That child had fled, leaving behind this young man that he hardly recognized himself.

 _The solitude is getting to me_ , he thought, fidgeting with his hands. His ears twitched slightly and he tugged at the longer one. _That doesn't look like me._ He listened to the sounds around, but the only sound was the creaking of the house as it settled. A home that had been built for a large, happy family of rabbits, once so full of music and laughter now filled only with the loudest silence ever… _Don't think about it._

It was hard, though, to not think about it. Not when he was standing completely alone in the silent room, staring his reflection in the eyes and seeing the stranger he had become. Trying to find something else to occupy his thoughts, his eyes slid across his reflection and landed on something black leaning against the wall in a corner, right next to one of his nightstands. His ears twitched even more as he stared at it, and after a moment he turned around to actually look directly towards the case.

"It always comes right back to this, huh?" He spoke aloud to himself, slowly approaching the innocent-looking black case. "I just can't leave you behind…" He knelt down in front of it and lightly brushed his fingers across the case's neck. There was no dust on it. He never let it collect dust, no matter how much he tried to pretend it wasn't even there. He just couldn't. The case was black- more like coal than pitch- and the surface was rough under his fingers. _The strap is in the closet…_ His eyes slid closed and he heaved a weary sigh, dropping his head forward and leaning it against the cool, rough surface, ears drooping behind him as an invisible weight settled over him. _Dammit._

 _Why can't I just let it all go?_

* * *

"Ahoy, Mike!"

The black-haired human jumped in surprise and looked up as his vulpine roommate swaggered in, a grin on his face. He wore a long black-and-blue coat, and there was a hook on his hand in place of his prosthetic. He also wore an eye-patch over one eye and knee-high boots. Mike raised a brow and sat up, setting his pen across the notebook he'd been working in as he waved a greeting.

The fox's grin widened. "What d'ye think, mate? I be makin' a fine pirate, aye?"

Mike couldn't help but smile in response, highly amused by the fox's antics. He grabbed his notebook and pen, flipped to a blank page, and scribbled down, ' _Only the best, Captain.'_

When he showed Foxy the response, the fox's eyes lit up gleefully. "Someone gets it!" He cheered. "Take that, Fazbear! And Fazbear. And Fazbear… and Hare and Hare."

Mike raised a brow at him. _'That sounded pretty lame right then,'_ he scribbled, showing the fox. Foxy simply laughed and went over to his drawers, dropping down and rooting through them with his good hand.

"I need to work on that," Foxy agreed, shrugging as he pulled out a pair of socks. Mike raised a brow, and Foxy grinned a bit at him. "I was out by the pond and I stepped in the water on the bank. You've never known annoying until you've walked across campus with wet socks!"

Mike snorted softly, a memory flitting through his mind. Eleven years old, if he remembered right, at Six Flags, Thunder River… oh yes, he _knew_ the pain of walking with wet socks. And wet jeans.

"Hey, Mikey, lad, me and the guys are planning a guy's night out this Saturday, wanna come?" The fox casually invited, bringing Mike out of memory lane. He blinked owlishly at the fox before turning back to his notebook, scribbling his response.

' _You've known me less than a day and you're inviting me to spend time with friends you've known since middle school.'_

"Well, I've only known Bonnie's brother just as long and he's comin'," Foxy stated with a shrug, peeling his dirty, wet socks off of his feet and grabbing a towel to dry the wet fur. "Besides, after this mornin' I've decided I'm recruiting you for help on revenge pranks!"

Mike raised a brow again. _'Revenge prank recruitment?'_

"Heh, why not, that was _pretty good_ for a beginner," Foxy answered with a shrug and a grin. "I'd love to see what you could do in a partnership!"

' _Hey, you started it with that bucket of ice water.'_

"Yes. Yes I did. Don't ask where I got that bucket either, it's classified."

' _I assume you got it from the auditorium's closet.'_

"... Okay maybe it's a prop for a show last year, but whatever!"

Mike simply shook his head, amused, as he watched the fox towel-dry his ankles. _'Maybe you should ask your friends if it's alright first, instead of just inviting me along.'_

"I'm sure they won't mind," Foxy dismissed with a grin, dropping the towel and pulling his fresh, dry socks on. "Besides, you're a music major, and that's pretty much what most of my friends are. They'll love ya!"

' _I think you fail to realize that you have a very tight circle of friends.'_

"Hey, we all welcomed Bonsai and Chick with open arms."

' _Yeah, but they are siblings of your already close friends.'_

Foxy paused to try and think of a response to that. Finally he just sighed, very overdramatically, and said, "Alright, I'll ask them if it's okay first. But I'm still inviting you anyway."

Mike smiled and shook his head slightly at the fox. Foxy grinned and flashed him a thumbs up before bounding out of the room again. The human eyed the wet socks still laying on the hardwood floor, but he wasn't able to call after the fox to come pick them up- no matter how much he wanted to.

Oh well. It was on the fox's side of the room, after all. Not his problem.

* * *

 **A/N** : I think I should explain a few things, if you've read the original SSSfM and noticed that the dynamic between Spring & Goldie & other characters has changed.

If you're wondering why I have Goldie and Spring actually interacting this soon, it's because I felt like it was unrealistic to think that one fact/instance would convince Goldie that his first assumption about Spring is wrong; there need to be more hints/moments showing Spring's real personality beforehand. I also think it's unrealistic that Spring would actually be open to friendly conversation with him after two weeks of avoidance/silence, like in the original, so there's a form of interaction ahead of time in order to make their friendship more believable.

I also have a Marion & Spring kinda-friendship because both of them are "odd" students in the art program (and I also need some way to bring Marion and Jeremy into the group). It didn't seem, well, realistic that Spring would be on all of these projects without getting to know at least _someone_ , so he'll probably be on somewhat-friendly terms with most art students, moreso Marion than others since Marion's a bit of an outcast himself. And Hugh and Natalie (art teacher) are really just tools for Goldie to see more of Spring, to be honest. Plot devices, you could say. They also serve another purpose, but, spoilers.

Tl:dr I'm giving them early interactions so Goldie has more reason to rethink his first impressions, and Spring actually has some kind of friendships so he's not completely isolated, though the friendship's distant enough that he's awkward and considered standoff-ish by "normal" people.


	5. Arc II, Part II

**Arc II, Part II**

 **A "Riveting" Conversation**

"Oh, Goldie, I think I see some scratches on your cheek~!"

"Shut up, Foxy, before _I_ claw _you_!"

"Oh please don't, you haven't trimmed yours within the last month or two," Freddy sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You're going to hurt yourself if you're not careful. Or someone else."

"I'm careful," Goldie stated with a grumpy shrug, glancing over at his brother in the passenger seat. Freddy was giving him the directions to their destination. Bonnie and Chica sat in the seats behind them, and Alfred, Foxy, and Bonsai sat in the back seat. Chick was sitting comfortably in the floorboard between the two middle seats, leaning against Foxy's legs; none of them really cared about the fact that that was totally illegal. Vixy had opted not to come along, as she had promised to spend the evening with a different friend.

"Besides, if I claw someone else up, it'd probably be on purpose," he continued with a glare in the rearview mirror towards Foxy. The fox cackled a bit and waved his prosthetic hand towards the mirror, a wide grin one his lips. Goldie turned his gaze back to the road as the light turned green and he turned left.

"Now, Goldie- why did you call your roommate Springtrap?" Bonnie suddenly asked, obviously not very approving of the name. Goldie glanced in the mirror towards him, raising a brow.

"That's what he told us to call him," Alfred spoke up before Goldie could. "He said to not call him Durrell, and when I asked what he went by he said Springtrap. If you ask me he should drop the "trap" part."

"Spring sounds like an adorable name!" Chick giggled, looking over at Alfred. "Especially for a rabbit."

"Definitely!" Chica agreed with a nod. "And it doesn't sound as mean as Spring _trap_ does. Why does he go by that name, anyway?"

"I don't know, I wasn't about to ask," Alfred answered, lifting his hands up in a surrender gesture. "You don't just ask people where they get their nicknames from." Especially, Goldie mentally tacked on, when it was probably a reference to their appearance.

"Turn right at the next light," Freddy cut in. "Guys, you know it's not polite to talk about people who aren't here."

"Oh, and I'm the exception?" Foxy leered, though Freddy couldn't see him. "I remember ya talkin' about me earlier in the cafeteria."

"Difference being that we _know_ you," Freddy dismissed with a wave. "Only, what, two of us have even met Mr. Franks?"

"But you remember his last name."

"I remember everyone's last name."

"Ehhh can't deny that," Bonnie agreed, glancing behind at Foxy. "Freddy's good with names."

"He could remember every president we've ever had within the first two weeks of that lesson," Alfred added. "The problem was he couldn't remember the order they came in. Only Washington really stuck."

"Well, the first is easiest," Freddy sighed. "Two parking lots up, turn."

Goldie let his gaze trail over to the building and he grinned. It was a pizza parlour they had been to once before during their first semester. Freddy wasn't too fond of greasy food, so it was a rare treat when _he_ would take them out for pizza… even if Goldie was driving. He had refused to let Freddy drive. He always did. It was _his_ van, so why should _Freddy_ drive, he would always argue.

"Awesome," he grinned as he pulled in, and immediately Foxy whooped, "Pizza!"

"Calm it, Fox!" Goldie laughed, "before you're restricted to two slices!"

"Pizza!" He repeated instead. If Chick hadn't been leaning back against his legs, the golden bear knew he probably would have leapt out of the vehicle before any of them could stop him. Goldie shut off the ignition and grinned, sliding out of his seat while the others began climbing out of the back doors.

"What a surprise, Freddy bringing us here!" Alfred laughed a bit, shaking his head.

"Well, we all survived the first day, so why not."

"Survived?" Bonnie snorted, closing the right door once everyone was out. "The first day is a piece of cake. It's _December_ we'll be really celebrating survival… or mourning those of us who don't survive."

Goldie laughed and locked the van's doors, heading towards the restaurant's entrance. "Well in December, we can have an after-concert celebration dinner at that place in downtown- you know, um… Tiamon's. Hell, I'll even pay for it~" He paused and hummed softly in thought, glancing at the darkening sky. "Well, I guess it'll really depend on whether the concert, play, or cooking competition is last, huh?"

"Busy busy week it'll be," Alfred chuckled, opening the door for his brothers and friends. "Hopefully none of them are on the same day this year."

"That's where the art students are lucky," Foxy complained, pouting as he quickly claimed one of the large tables in the dining area. "They just have an art show and it lasts two weeks. Their opening night is two weeks before school ends, and they don't even have to show up again!"

"How do you know that?" The youngest bear asked as he sat down next to Foxy, raising a brow quizzically.

"I'm in the drama program, I work with some of the art students sometimes," Foxy answered with a shrug. "Sometimes when we're on break or done rehearsing I'll go into the back room and chat with the students and Miss Natalie while they work on the backdrops. I asked them what their final thing was and they told me themselves they have a student show and only have to show up for the opening night. Lucky them!"

"They will so blame you if the rules change now, asking that in front of their teacher," Goldie laughed, leaning over his youngest brother to nudge the fox's arm. "Speaking of the backdrops- what's the play about this year? Obviously there's a pirate in it, so?"

Foxy grinned, noting he had his friends' attentions. "Aye, laddies, ye'll jus' 'ave ta be comin' t' the show!" He declared in a gruff voice, causing Goldie to snort.

"Gee, I'll be surprised if ya _don't_ get the part of pirate, you're surely _uncouth_ enough for it," Goldie shot with a smirk. "Plus you can pull off the hook for a hand."

"Fancy word, Fazbear! Fancy word!" Foxy laughed before promptly turning his attention to the young human waiter approaching them, pen and notepad in hand. Goldie exchanged an amused glance with his brothers, feeling a bit sorry for the waiter having to deal with Foxy's order.

Once the waiter left the table, looking a little worriedly at his notepad, Goldie began laughing. "Foxy, you look like you almost gave the poor guy a heart attack!"

"Hey, not my fault he's not used to one person ordering an entire pizza."

"With six different types of meat?"

"I _am_ a fox!"

Alfred snickered a bit. "Well we're bears and we don't get our pizza loaded with meat. In fact Freddy doesn't even get meat on his."

"We don't get carrots on ours," Bonsai added with a small laugh. Then he looked across the table over to his own brother, sitting between Chica and Freddy. "Though… Bonnie, since when have you eaten _mushrooms_? I clearly remember when we were kids, you hated mushrooms."

Bonnie shrugged a bit in response. "Hey, things change." Bonsai made a disgusted face, causing the others to laugh even harder. "Hey, I never said _you_ had to like mushrooms, Mr. I Like Peppers and Pineapple on the Same Slice!"

"That does sound pretty bad," Goldie confessed with a laugh to the blue bunny, who pouted in response. "But I also agree that mushrooms are horrible."

"Oh you have no room to talk, Mr. Anchovies and Olives," Alfred countered with a smirk. "But better than onions and spinach, right?" He added towards Freddy, who simply rolled his eyes in response. "No, seriously, am I the only one of us who just goes with a normal sausage and pepperoni?"

"Vixy likes just cheese," Foxy mused, "So yes."

"You're just boring," Bonsai added with a smirk.

"I like that no one mentioned the girls over there getting pineapple and tomato on theirs," Goldie chuckled, looking towards the chicken sisters.

Chica gave a sweet smile and said, "Because we're going to be chefs and know what is actually good, that's why."

Alfred snickered. "She's got a point. But gross, tomatoes are _not_ good!"

"I concur!" Bonsai agreed in a nasally, mocking tone that sent them all into peals of laughter.

"I think tomatoes are fine," Freddy chuckled, shaking his head at his friends. The waiter returned with their drinks, setting the drinks in front of their respective owner. "Oh, thank you, sir," he added to the waiter as he was handed his tea.

"You're welcome!" The waiter responded with an award-winning smile and headed back towards the kitchen.

"I wonder if that guy is in the modellin' program at school," Foxy suddenly said, picking up his rootbeer and taking a sip. "He's good for human standards, I think."

"I doubt he goes to our school," Goldie shrugged, spinning a straw in his own glass of tea minus lemon. "Our school's pretty strict about its students not having jobs, and a place like this wouldn't be able to pay the tuition or dorm bill."

"Unless he lives in this town," Alfred countered, looking critically at his glass of water. After, apparently, deciding it was satisfactorily clear, he took a sip. "They have exceptions for locals, you know."

"They have exceptions," Freddy agreed, "but that doesn't change the fact that a job like this would never be able to pay the tuition at school."

"Well he _should_ be in the modelling program then," Foxy huffed. Goldie raised a brow and smirked.

"Ohh, does the fox have a thing for humans~?" He asked teasingly, though kept his voice down so the people at the next table over wouldn't hear. There _were_ some things you just don't say in mixed company, after all.

Foxy looked absolutely scandalized. "Have ya lost your mind?" He asked the snickering bear. "I'm just saying by human standards he's not so bad."

"I think Vixy's rubbing off on him," Chick whispered conspiratorially to Chica, lifting a hand to hide her beak from view.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Foxy's brow furrowed, obviously confused. "What does Vixy have to do with anything?"

"Oh, you know, Endie," Chick dismissed with a wave of her hand. Foxy stared at her and she raised a brow. "Oh don't even try to tell me you don't see the chemistry," she scoffed, lifting her glass of apple juice to her beak. When her statement was met by dead silence, she eyed her friends suspiciously. "Unless you have something against those sort of relationships?"

The silence continued a few moments longer, a silence in which all of the friends shifted uncomfortably, not used to such controversial topics rising between them. Such relationships were unheard of, and in many people's eyes were morally wrong and, to be quite frank, disgusting.

Then again, they had never put much stock into what society thought in the first place.

It was a few moments before Bonsai broke the silence, scoffing and rolling his eyes. "Humans are nothing but another species of ape anyway," he declared, sliding his fingers along the rim of his glass, as though nervous despite his confident words. "Besides, if two people care about or love each other, what's the big deal? We're all people, we're all consenting adults."

"Y'know, thinking about it, our parents would totally say that it's wrong and disgusting," Goldie spoke next, getting the others' attention. "So I guess there's nothing wrong with it, if people like _them_ hate it."

"Point taken," Alfred nodded thoughtfully. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Actually, a lot of the arguments against it sound a _lot_ like arguments against same-sex relationships and transgender people…"

"Disgusting, unnatural, immoral, against whichever god they worship," Bonsai muttered, glaring off to the side. "Must be fixed and or cured. You mean those sort of things?"

"Yeah..."

"Exactly," Chick nodded confidently, setting her glass down with a solid _thunk_. "And we know they're wrong on those accounts, so why should this be any different? Humans aren't special. Saying Vixy and Endie can't date is like saying Bonnie and Chica can't date, just because they're different species."

"So wait wait wait, you're saying Vixy and Endie are…?" Foxy trailed off, looking uncertain.

"They're not dating but come _on_ , even a blind person can see they _want_ to be," Chick sighed, shaking her head. "I guess over here Humans and Animals dating isn't common, but California…"

"Crazy kids over there, pioneering everything," Goldie snickered. "Maybe we can learn a thing or two from them, huh?"

"Um… did I come back at a bad time?" They looked up at the waiter, who looked _very_ lost and confused, standing there with the plates of pizza.

"Er… how long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes now," Freddy answered for the waiter, sounding _very_ amused, and Goldie turned to him suspiciously. The smirk on Freddy's face said it all.

"Freddy! Why didn't you tell us he was standing there!"

"What? And let him miss out on such a riveting conversation? I would'a done the boy a disservice."

"Freddy!"

"Anyway," Foxy quickly cut in before an argument could start, "thank you for the food, sir!"

The others echoed Foxy's words as the waiter set the plates down on the table. He gave an awkward smile before heading back to the kitchen again.

"Well _that_ was awkward," Bonsai declared with a laugh, turning his green-eyed gaze to his friends. "So, _anyway_ , let's all enjoy our pizzas." He grinned at Bonnie. "Eat your mushrooms~!"

"Eat your pineapple and peppers, crazy li'l bro."

"Pineapple and peppers actually taste good."

"Not together, they don't!"

Goldie rolled his eyes at the rabbit brothers and happily took a bit of his own pizza. He noticed Freddy soaking up the grease off of his slice with some napkins and rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Freddy, it's pizza."

"Yes, and grease is disgusting."

"What, you gonna eat it with a fork too?"

Freddy leered at his older brother and very pointedly grabbed a fork, obviously to spite the elder. "I am now that you've said that."

"Old man!"

"You're older than me."

"Yes but I'm not an old man who uses a fork to eat de-greased pizza."

The brown bear rolled his eyes at Goldie. "Just enjoy your pizza, _big brother_."

"I plan on it." Goldie grinned, returning to his pizza.

"... Seriously, anchovies and olives?"

"Foxy, don't start!"

* * *

"I'm dead tired!" Goldie sighed as he unlocked the door to his and Alfred's dorm room.

"Why? We had pizza and'ja just drove us back, nothin' exhausting there," Freddy pointed out, shaking his head as Bonnie unlocked their own door. "We didn't even do anything hard in class."

"Remember, though, you two need to practice every day!" Bonnie reminded with a grin, pulling the door open. Foxy darted in before any of the others could even react.

"Ugh, we don't even have Mr. Hugh tomorrow, I'm relaxing," Goldie huffed, yanking the door open. "Goodnight, guys!" He added as he went inside. The television was off, but the lights in the room were on. He blinked as he spotted Marion and Springtrap, who had looked up when he and Alfred walked in. They both were sitting on the floor, their sketchbooks in front of them on the coffee table… they seemed to be coordinating something, and whatever it was, they evidently didn't want the bears to see as both of them not-so-subtly flipped their pages in unison. Goldie raised a brow at them, unimpressed.

"Huh?" Alfred blinked, staring at their roommates. "You two know each other?"

"Of course," Marion chuckled, as though the answer was obvious. "We are both in the art program, after all."

"Yeah, but you take night classes," Alfred pointed out, raising a brow.

"We worked together on the drama's backdrops last year," Springtrap answered this time, shrugging slightly as though it meant nothing. "Natalie had asked if anyone'd be willing to work at night and I was one of the few who said yeah."

"Oh! I meant to ask about something!" Alfred suddenly cried, lightly smacking his forehead as he remembered what Mr. Hugh had told them. "Mr. Hugh said that some art students and Mrs. Natalie were gonna work on our concert decorations this year?"

The two art students exchanged quizzical glances, and Springtrap sighed and dropped his head down onto his sketchbook. "Really?" He muttered, barely loud enough for the bears to hear.

"This is the first I am hearing of this," Marion confirmed what Springtrap's action had suggested. "Though I cannot say I am surprised."

"She's gonna run us ragged this year," Springtrap sighed, lifting his head and leaning on his hand. He didn't look directly at either bear as he spoke, his eyes glancing instead towards Marion.

"What do you mean?" Goldie asked, raising a brow at the two. He noticed that though the rabbit and human were sitting side by side, they weren't sitting close and they leaned their weight away from each other. They obviously knew each other and got along, maybe they were even somewhat friends, but Goldie could tell that they weren't close friends by any stretch of the imagination. Both kept some distance.

"Mrs. Natalie is changing up the student show this year," Marion answered. "The drama students and director have also asked for three large backdrops this semester, too."

"Changing up the student show?" Alfred exchanged an almost amused look with Goldie, who couldn't help but grin. "It's Foxy's fault, isn't it?"

"She felt like we weren't doing enough already," Springtrap muttered. "Foxy? Sorry, I don't think I know him."

"I do," Marion said, nodding. "He came in after a late-night rehearsal to talk to us. You had a fever if I remember correctly, Springtrap, so you weren't there that evening."

"Probably, I didn't miss very many sessions…"

"And if you're wondering, it probably _was_ his comment that gave her the idea," Marion continued thoughtfully, casting his gaze towards the ceiling. "Now she wants us to have five pieces instead of three, and appear on opening night as well as closing, and on closing we have to do critiques."

Goldie was struggling to hide his amusement. He couldn't wait to tell Foxy that he had inadvertently added to the art students' plate. "So are you two working on ideas for the backdrops?" He asked instead, nodding towards the sketchbooks. "Y'all flipped those pages so fast I'm surprised your hands ain't got whiplash."

The artists glanced at one another and simply shrugged, not giving a positive or negative answer. Goldie pouted and huffed. "Aw, fine, be that way."

"Goldie, you know the drama guys would hunt 'em down if they told us what the backdrops are even related to," Alfred scolded mockingly. "They don't wanna die so young, y'know."

Goldie noticed Springtrap and Marion exchange another glance, both of them seeming highly amused by this statement. "Aww, not like we'd tell anyone, though!"

"They'd find out," Marion cut in, his voice deeper and downright spooky. "They always do."

Springtrap snorted and quickly covered his mouth, as though that would hide the fact it had been him who had just laughed. Goldie raised a brow at them both. "Ya sure _you're_ not a drama student? You've sure got that spooky dramatic voice down."

Marion simply smiled and turned his gaze back to his sketchbook, though he tapped his pencil against the rabbit's to get Springtrap's attention. The golden rabbit watched him scrawl something in the sketchbook before nodding slightly, thoughtfully, and added something to it. Goldie took this as his and Alfred's cue to leave them be.

"Hey Gold," Alfred started as they headed towards the bedroom doors, "Just so ya know I'm gonna practice, so don't expect to get any sleep."

Goldie huffed. "Fine, fine, then I'll practice too and show you up."

"Ha! You're on, Fazbear!"

"Bring it, Fazbear!"

"... Doesn't really work when we're both Fazbear, huh?"

"Not really, no."

* * *

It was around eleven when Goldie finally put his stand away, the sheet music still clipped in place and a pencil lying on its "shelf." The light in the common room was still on, and he knew the artists were still out there doing… whatever art students did. He hummed a bit as he pulled out his pajamas- which was actually just a pair of sweatpants and a plain white tank top- and headed towards the bathroom, casting a glance over at the art students.

He noticed a few additions had been added to the coffee table; two medium-sized Starbucks drinks and a bag from a nearby gas station, probably serving as a trash bag, and an open bag of chips between the artists. Goldie briefly wondered when either of the two artists had left to get the drinks and snacks, but he dismissed it easily enough and closed the door to the bathroom, not disturbing either artist with unwanted questions.

There also seemed to be an addition to the counter in the bathroom, that being a brush that seemed to lie, forgotten, on the counter on the rabbit's side. Goldie was pretty sure it was forgotten there probably after the rabbit's shower earlier when Alfred had startled him. _I'm starting to think he's easily distracted._

Goldie dismissed it easily enough and took his quick nightly shower, towel-dried his fur as well as possible, and pulled his night clothes on. At home he would just use a blow dryer on his fur, but he didn't want to risk disturbing anyone in the room next to him. He could deal with wet fur anyway, at least inside before winter.

When he left the bathroom, his clothes in a bundle in his arms, he saw Marion lightly nudging the rabbit with the butt of his pencil. Springtrap seemed to have started falling asleep, slouched over the table and leaning on his hand, and Goldie suddenly remembered something about… five-thirty? He blinked and frowned in thought, trying to grasp the full memory as he walked over to his bedroom door.

"Go to sleep, Springtrap, you're already getting an unhealthy amount of sleep," he heard the human say, and he glanced through the still open door towards them as Marion nudged the rabbit again.

The rabbit muttered something and gently pushed the pencil away from him, opening his eyes and sitting up straighter, dropping his hand over his sketchbook. His ears drooped in a way Goldie hadn't seen before-at least, he didn't think he had, although it seemed familiar- and his eyelids seemed very heavy, eyes unfocused. He was clearly exhausted. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost midnight."

Goldie listened and watched as the rabbit blinked, turning to look at the clock on the wall, a strange look on his face. "Oh…"

"We can work more tomorrow," Marion added, closing his own sketchbook. "Or even in the morning, before you go to the studio. God knows you wake up early enough."

Springtrap yawned and shook his head, as if trying to wake himself up, and picked up his still-open sketchbook. "Yeah, I guess. You have another class in ten minutes, anyway," he pointed out, standing up from his spot on the floor.

"Goodnight, Springtrap."

"Goodnight, Marion."

Goldie dropped his dirty clothes in the basket under his nightstand and flopped down on his bed, glancing up as the rabbit wandered in. Springtrap didn't even glance at him as he softly shut the door with his foot and dropped the sketchbook down on his desk. When Springtrap did glance at him, he also reached for the lightswitch and waited a moment for Goldie to get completely settled in bed before flicking the light-switch to "off."

When the room went dark, it took Goldie's eyes a moment to adjust to the dull light filtering through the window between the beds. He settled down in his blankets and closed his eyes, listening as the rabbit dropped down onto his own bed with a soft, tired sigh.

It was hardly a minute later that the rabbit's breathing had become slow and even. Goldie's followed not long after, undisturbed until roughly five hours later.

 **End Arc II**


	6. Arc III, Part I

" _And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."_

Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

 **Arc III, Part I**

 **A Blank Page (Doesn't Stay Empty)**

The first week passed in a whirlwind of frantic hysteria, where everyone was scrambling around to finish whatever cruel assignments they had been given to start the year with. Goldie, who sat at his bedroom desk early Thursday morning frantically scribbling down the answers to the music theory questions he had completely forgotten about the night before, felt absolutely sure he was not going to survive this year, not if every day was like _this_.

Music was everything to him- his entire life, really. He loved it, and he knew how to make it fit together and flow and he was _good_ at it. What he wasn't good at, though, was _theory._ He knew how to make music, why did he need to know this stuff? It was all opinions, anyway, who knew the _real_ story besides the composer themselves?

He gave a frustrated growl as his lead snapped not for the first time that morning. _Luckily, I use mechanical,_ he thought grumpily to himself, pressing the button and continuing writing. It had been all week and he had had next to no time to really spend with his friends. He severely hoped this first week was the teachers' "weed out the weak" test.

The door opened and Goldie barely glanced up as his rabbit roommate suddenly darted into the room, eyes wide and brow scrunched up in alarm. No, not even the art students were safe from the hysteria he thought to himself, feeling only slightly better as he heard his roommate frantically flipping through the pages in his sketchbooks and notebooks, clearly looking for a lost assignment.

At least, he mused, the busy week meant that the rabbit spent most of his time at the art building rather than in the dorm, not that he was exactly opposed to the rabbit's presence anymore. The only time he really saw Springtrap since Monday night was at night, when he and Marion- who looked equally frantic as the rabbit sometimes- worked on their collaboration though they hardly spoke now, instead concentrating on getting the work done so they could get to personal assignments.

 _Everyone is stressed and these people don't discriminate_ , Goldie thought bitterly, quickly writing down the last word with a small, triumphant cry. He leapt up from his seat and shoved the paper into his bag, zipping it up and glancing at his watch. He had ten minutes to get to class.

The golden bear glanced over at the other side of the room and took a double-take at the sight that greeted him. It looked like sketchbooks had crawled out of the walls; his roommate's bed was covered in sketchbooks tossed aside haphazardly, and the floor wasn't faring much better. The stacks of sketchbooks at the end of his bed were gone, and currently the rabbit was flipping through a sketchbook on the desk. The rabbit's golden fur was messier than normal, like he had been tugging at it randomly in his stress.

Springtrap looked rather distraught at the moment, muttering to himself. He gave a frustrated huff and slammed the sketchbook down, grabbing another one to continue his search.

Goldie figured it was best to leave the rabbit to his search and just get to class. Besides, he had less than ten minutes to get across campus.

He ran.

When he burst into the classroom, he leaned over panting and groaned, walking over to his desk and dropping down. Alfred gave him a strange look that Goldie chose to ignore, and he triumphantly pulled out his homework.

The moment Bonsai caught sight of it, his eyes widened and he slammed his head down on his desk, and the others couldn't help but laugh a bit, wearily. "I'm gonna get eaten alive," the blue bunny whined, looking up at his brother.

"I reminded you to do it," Bonnie chastised with a small, tired grin. "You're the one who kept saying "yeah yeah, I got it.""

"Shut up," Bonsai groaned, sitting up again. "Please, please, _please_ don't show up…"

Goldie glanced around, seeing some other people seemed to be praying that the teacher wouldn't show up as well. _Looks like Bonsai isn't the only one who forgot_. His gaze slid over to the clock and he realized that class had begun.

The teacher wasn't there yet.

He stared at the front of the room, his brow furrowed. Oh she _better not_ , he silently whined. "I just finished this this morning," he complained aloud to his brothers and the rabbits.

"Your fault, not mine," Alfred and Freddy chorused, with Freddy adding, "You should have done it yesterday instead of playing videogames, like we did"

"It's almost the weekend," Bonnie sighed before Goldie could respond. "We should be able to have some time to hang out at least."

"Unless the teachers decide they are all evil," Bonsai added darkly, glaring at the door. " _Please_ don't show up…"

Not even a minute later, the door swung open to students' abject cries of horror, but the teacher who stepped through was not the music theory teacher, but… Mr. Hugh. Everyone fell quiet, confusion crossing their features as the yellow wolf strolled in casually.

The music director grinned at the confused students. "Miss Mae sent out an email, class cancelled," he informed them, grinning and looking completely delighted at their expressions. "But! She still wants your homework."

Bonsai's face met his desk again with a quiet cry of _"Why!"_ that was echoed by a surprisingly large portion of the class. Goldie felt glad that h wasn't one of them.

Freddy pulled his phone out and quickly went to his emails, furrowing his brow. "She cancelled class a minute after it was supposed to begin," he informed the others, showing them the email labelled _Class Cancellation_ sent at _8:01._ They all groaned- how cruel!

"She must have been wanting to make sure we were all here to leave our homework," Bonnie laughed, patting his brother's back. "Sorry, Bonsai."

"Jump into the pond, jerk," Bonsai grumbled, standing up from his seat sullenly as their friends and brothers just laughed.

"Speaking of pond!" A voice interrupted from right next to them, causing the students to jump in surprise, turning to look at Mr. Hugh standing there. Goldie had _no idea_ when the wolf had approached them, but none of them had even noticed. "I need someone to take something to my wife's studio for me."

Goldie sighed and glanced back at Freddy. "You can't get one of your students _right now_ to do it?"

"Well, I don't _have_ a class right now, Mr. Fazbear," Hugh chuckled, a grin spreading across his muzzle. "And you spoke first, so you've volunteered. Come with me!"

Alfred snorted behind the eldest brother as Goldie's eyes widened, watching the teacher in absolute shock. He turned to his brothers and the rabbits, who were all grinning or snickering. "Seriously, has he always been so weird and random?"

"Of course, you just didn't notice last year," Bonnie chuckled, tugging in the strap of his bookbag. "You should be more observant."

"Hurry up, Fazbear!"

Goldie groaned and shouldered his bag, heading down the aisle. He dropped his completed homework on the absent teacher's desk and followed Mr. Hugh to his office. He stepped inside the door and watched as the wolf rounded the desk and picked up a decently-sized box.

"What's in there?" Goldie asked curiously. The wolf gave him a grin and held the box out to him.

"It's just some supplies Natalie asked me to get for her," he explained. "It's for the concert decorations. I'd take them over myself, but I have a class starting in about ten minutes. Thank you for volunteering!"

Goldie sighed and took the box from the wolf. "Sir, I don't even know where her studio is."

"Oh, just follow the voices and the laughing, you'll find it."

"That doesn't help," Goldie grumbled, but the wolf was already out the door and heading to his next classroom. "And I didn't volunteer!" He added, but began walking out the door anyway. He spotted his brothers and the rabbits standing by the door. "Hey, any of you want to walk with me?" He asked hopefully as he approached them.

"Sorry, Goldie, I don't like crossing the bridge," Alfred told him with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know how I am."

Goldie snorted. "Pansy," he muttered without bite, turning his hopeful gaze to the others.

"I'll go with you," Freddy offered. "I mean, after earlier I'm sure you won't be able to get there in time."

The golden bear immediately went on the defensive. "I so can!"

"Could'a fooled me." Goldie huffed at his middle brother, clearly unimpressed.

"Fine, I'll go by myself, you jerks, but if I fall in the pond and drown it's on your heads," he warned, walking swiftly out the door.

"Goldie, we all know you can swim!"

The golden bear ignored Freddy's call and left the building, hooking a right to walk across the grass towards the pond and the "island" that the art building was settled on, at least a six minute walk from the music building. The campus was large and spread out for reasons he honestly didn't know, but it was fine. It was nice, the amount of space there was. Made getting outside and just chilling easy.

When he reached the bridge he headed across without any hesitation, not having any fear about bridges as his youngest brother did. The bridge wasn't all that long- maybe a one minute walk across at a leisurely pace- but he knew the pond was deep beneath his feet which _did_ unnerve him somewhat, so when he reached the land again he felt only relief. He pulled open the front doors and went into the building. He was instantly surrounded by sound.

He looked around, finding himself staring down three different hallways; one down the center to the other entrance of the building- through which he could see the school's eastern fence that cut through the water- and two others down the sides of the building and turning corners. The loudest sounds were coming from the right hallway so he turned and walked in that direction, hoping it was the right way. Turning the corner in that hallway, he found an open door and approached it, peeking in.

The studio wasn't full of people- there were maybe seven or eight people but they were all laughing and talking together, standing at their easels or sitting on a bench-like thing, a board leaning against what looked like some kind of headboard. It was a large room, probably the size of two music rooms, but the scattered materials and trollies and easels and drawing horses and the tables along the front wall made it seem smaller than it was. Goldie glanced around the spacious room, noting the unused easels scattered around; he didn't see Mr. Hugh's wife.

With a sigh, he called into the room, "Excuse me, but can any of y'all tell me where I can find Mrs. Natalie Roberts?"

Two people in the class looked over at him, one a black rabbit woman and the other a blonde human man. The rabbit laughed and handed her pencil over to the human before heading over to the bear. "I'm Natalie," she informed him. "Those the things I asked Hugh to bring me?"

Goldie blinked at the (rather short) rabbit and nodded, holding the box out to her. He had not expected the wolf's wife to be a rabbit of all things. He was _pretty_ sure there was a joke in there somewhere- a wolf and a rabbit married?- but he chose not to ponder it too long.

"Thank you!" She chirped, going to set the box on a table. Goldie blinked owlishly.

"You're Mr. Hugh's wife?" He finally asked, and the rabbit lady- Mrs. Natalie- laughed again.

"We get that a lot," she hummed, turning to him. "Hm, the way you're dressed tells me you're one of his Fazbears, right? I've met Freddy, quite a gentleman! He seemed surprised by me, too."

"Funny, he didn't mention you were a rabbit," Goldie laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Brothers are like that," she chuckled. "Trust me, I know- I had six of them!"

"Sounds like hell," Goldie snickered. Not that he could say much, he had five brothers himself; his twins and then the sixteen-year-old triplets still in high school.

"Typical rabbit family size," she declared, waving her hand dismissively.

"Eh, my friend Bonnie only has one sibling," Goldie countered with a shrug.

"There are always exceptions," she pointed out, a small smile on her face. "My oldest brother only had two, as well. Well, they were planning more, but then… well, you don't need to hear that story," she laughed, turning back to the box and using one of her nails to quickly slit the tape on top.

Goldie was curious, but he figured it would be better to not push a personal story out of his teacher's wife, so he shrugged instead. "Well, if that was all, I guess I'll-"

"I found it!"

Goldie jumped but before he could turn around to see who had shouted someone barreled straight into him, sending both of them crashing to the floor with loud and startled yelps. Mrs. Natalie whirled around, eyes wide as the two students groaned from where they had landed on the floor, Goldie reaching for his head. Goldie didn't even care about the laughter now filling the room- it probably helped that it wasn't malicious laughter- and instead focused on who had knocked him down, wiggling around and turning so he could see who his legs were trapped under.

He wasn't even surprised to find his roommate was the one blinking owlishly at him, and all Goldie could be thankful for was that there was no awkward position. He would _never_ live that down, even if the only witnesses had been art students. As it was, the rabbit was sprawled across his legs, looking absolutely confused about whatever had just happened.

"Durrell Spring Franks!" Mrs. Natalie called, and the rabbit's ears stood straight up, looking away from Goldie and towards his teacher with a perfectly sheepish expression. "How many times have we told you to not run inside? Geez, don't you remember what happened last time?" The black rabbit sighed and walked over to the two boys, both of whom were still too stunned to actually get up, and held her hands out to them both. "Come on, get up, boys, off the floor."

Springtrap reacted first, sheepishly accepting the offered hand and allowing his shorter teacher to help him up. Goldie shook his head and took her hand as well, thanking her for her help.

Mrs. Natalie gave him a smile before turning to Springtrap, who had picked up his sketchbook while Goldie focused on the art teacher. "Springy, what in the world had you running in here like that? If the hounds of hell weren't right on your ankles, then what?"

The rabbit mumbled something and lifted his sketchbook slightly, glancing aside with a flush rising to his cheeks, ears flopping down behind him in a strangely innocent way, almost like a child who got caught doing something "bad" by their parent. Mrs. Natalie looked torn between amused and upset, and Goldie wasn't sure how he himself should be feeling about all of this. Who could be upset at a face like that?

(He realized his thought a moment after he thought it, but then he simply accepted it; the rabbit _did_ look pretty adorable with that expression on his face, scars aside.)

Finally, Mrs. Natalie sighed and held her hand out for the sketchbook. "Alright, let me see what you have and then we'll talk about it. For now, go set up your easel or drawing horse, whichever you prefer, we're working with charcoal today." Springtrap obediently handed the sketchbook over and Mrs. Natalie walked away towards a table near the front of the room.

Springtrap then turned to Goldie, looking alarmed and almost upset. "I am so, so, _so_ sorry," he apologized. "I didn't see you-"

"Don't worry!" Goldie laughed, unsure why exactly he did; the rabbit _did_ neglect to watch where he was going. "I was the one standing in the doorway. But damn, you took those corners fast if you didn't see me in time to stop."

The rabbit still looked sheepish and embarrassed- and even ashamed, Goldie realized- with his ears still drooping and his hands fidgeting with one another, but he _did_ give the barest hint of a smile. "I _am_ a rabbit," he muttered, twitching his ears as if to emphasize that. Then his brow furrowed. "Wait- this is the art building- I mean, no offense, but, uh… why-"

"-am I here? Mr. Hugh "volunteered" me to bring that down here," Goldie deadpanned, pointing towards the box. Springtrap's eyes flicked over to it and a look of amusement flitted through his eyes.

"Ah."

Well, Goldie supposed it was only natural for art students to know about Mr. Hugh, but he did remember that this rabbit actually _knew_ him. He wondered if it was through Mrs. Natalie. He decided not to ask about it; after all, the rabbit didn't know he knew about him knowing Hugh. _Okay that was confusing..._

The rabbit fidgeted before giving a slight, unsure wave and heading over to the side of the room where the easels were stashed, and Goldie felt his curiosity get the best of him. He followed Springtrap, ignoring the strange and questioning looks some of the other art students gave him as he "intruded" on their space, and watched as the rabbit swiftly set up the easel.

"What's that?" Goldie asked, causing the rabbit to jump ( _like a rabbit_ , Goldie added mentally with amusement) and turn around, looking surprised that he was still there. "What? Didn't hear me?"

Springtrap seemed to be at a loss of what to say. "Uh..." He shook his head instead and turned back to the large thin board he had been securing to the easel. "It's a backer board. You put your paper on it…" As he said this, he grabbed two large clips and then passed Goldie to get to his belongings, laying scattered in the corner he set up in. The bear watched curiously, sliding his hands into his pockets casually. The rabbit grabbed a drawing pad and carefully pulled a page out of it, then turned back towards the easel again, pausing when he noticed the bear was standing there still. "Uh… you're… still here?"

"I'm curious about what y'all do in here," he answered simply, shrugging. Springtrap's brow quirked at this, evidently both amused and curious himself.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought it back."

Springtrap blinked at him, apparently not expecting that response. Goldie gave him a wide grin.

"Mr. Fazbear, if you're in Hugh's class right now I suggest you go before he sends someone to hunt you down and gives you extra homework," Mrs. Natalie suddenly called from her table, startling the roommates and causing other students to laugh.

"Ah, actually I have music theory right now, it got cancelled today," Goldie told her sheepishly. Mrs. Natalie looked up at them, brow raised.

"Oh really? In that case you can stay, but please don't distract my students, they have an assignment due by Saturday."

Goldie grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Springtrap rolled his eyes and turned back to his easel, clipping his paper in place and setting up his… sticks?

"What're those?" Goldie immediately asked, eyes zeroing in on the thin, brittle black twigs. Springtrap glanced at him as he snapped one of the twigs in two, ears barely twitching at the short, abrupt sound. Goldie wondered why he did that.

"Vine charcoal," was the simple answer he got as the rabbit turned back to his easel and began covering the surface with the charcoal. "It's a burnt vine and it's a popular medium," he expanded but offered no more. Goldie was a bit confused but figured it best to not ask his roommate any more questions that probably had obvious answers, not wanting to irritate him. Instead he watched as Springtrap coloured the paper black and then…. ran his hand across the page?

The bear bit his tongue in order to still his questions, watching as the black on the page smoothed out into grey. When the rabbit pulled his hand away from the paper, Goldie noticed his golden fur was completely black with charcoal. He wondered how hard that was to get out of fur, but again he didn't ask. The rabbit's answers, although they had been short, had been friendly enough, but he didn't want to risk anything.

Instead, he watched as the rabbit set the (highly depleted) piece of vine down and picked up an eraser, sliding the eraser across the page in ways that Goldie just, frankly, didn't understand. Then again, he wasn't an artist, he supposed as he watched silently, but then he realized that something was happening; the scene outside the window- a tree at the pond's edge, the pond, and the buildings beyond- was starting to materialize in black and white on the page.

He had no idea how Springtrap's page had gone from black-covered to actually having subject. He had no idea where it had even come from. As he watched the rabbit pause and pick up the charcoal, swiftly adding (and smudging) shadows, he thought that maybe- just maybe- there was a lot more to this "drawing" thing than he had thought.

"Springaling!" Mrs. Natalie called suddenly, the rabbit's ears perking in response and the bear giving a startled jerk himself. Springtrap set the vine down on the easel and headed over to Mrs. Natalie, but Goldie just blinked, watching them. _Springaling? Seriously?_

Mrs. Natalie spoke quietly to the golden rabbit, too quietly for anyone else to hear, and they were looking at one of the pages of the sketchbook. Goldie was curious again, but even he knew when curiosity couldn't be satisfied; private conversations between teachers are students were one of them.

 _Well you already broke that rule,_ a little voice of reason scoffed in his mind, sounding unsurprisingly like Freddy, but Goldie chose to ignore it. He checked his phone to see the time and noticed he had a missed call and a text from Alfred. He opened the text and read what it said.

' _Hey Gold, where are you? You didn't actually fall into the pond, right? You've been gone for half an hour._ '

Goldie's eyes widened as he realized that, yes, he _had_ been standing in the room for half an hour. Well, now it was more like forty-five minutes, but still. _There's no way I've been standing here that long, right?_

Quickly, he texted back, _'Sorry, saw Springtrap was in this class and decided to stick around see what they did here.'_ It sounded stupid, really, but it was the truth.

Well. Mostly. He wasn't going to mention the whole "being run into and knocked to the ground by Springtrap" thing.

He looked up when his roommate's footsteps were audible, realizing the rabbit was returning, sketchbook in his left not charcoal-covered hand. The rabbit's eyes flicked to the phone the bear was holding. "Your friends are probably worried," he commented, dropping his sketchbook down with his stuff and returning to his place in front of the easel.

"Yeah, apparently I've been here almost an hour," Goldie agreed, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "I should probably go. But, ah- I'm curious, what in the world just happened?"

Springtrap looked at him quizzically, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean- one moment it was just… grey," Goldie fumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed at the way Springtrap was looking at him (like he was a moron- he felt that way too) as he gestured towards the paper on the easel. "But now it's… not?"

"It's called a picture?"

"Yeah, but- how?"

Springtrap watched him for a few silent seconds, looking like he was unsure how to react to this. "Subtraction method," he finally answered, turning away back towards his easel. Goldie caught the smile anyway. "I start with the medium on the page, take away from it, and then add where it needs to be darker."

"That sounds… complicated."

"Not really. It's my favourite method with charcoal," Springtrap shrugged, picking up his charcoal again the emphasize the shadows on the tree.

"Huh." Goldie continued watching the picture morph for another minute or so before remembering he was supposed to be leaving. "I'm gonna… just… go now," he said awkwardly, not sure how to excuse himself. Springtrap wasn't his friend, but he _was_ someone he was living with and saw every night, so… "Uh, seeya later, I guess?"

"Bye," and a brief wave was the only (awkward) response he got, and Goldie headed out of the studio and back towards the front doors of the building, deep in thought.

Maybe, he mused, maybe this was more interesting than he thought. Not something he wanted to do himself- the image of the dusty charcoal on Springtrap's hand resurfaced and he shuddered, imagining how that must _feel_ \- but it seemed a lot more complicated and in-depth than he had thought before, something that would actually take skill... and something as unseemly as a blank page could morph into something that was, admittedly, beautiful.

 _And_ , he added thoughtfully as he strolled across the bridge, _Springtrap doesn't really seem so bad after all. It's too bad we have no common ground. I think we could have been pretty good friends..._


	7. Arc III, Part II

**Arc III, Part II**

 **Common Ground**

' _Gold, be quiet when you go back to our dorm.'_

Goldie raised a brow as he read the text from Alfred, being just outside of the dorm with his hand on the knob. _Why wouldn't I be quiet?_ He silently asked himself. _Who is there to talk to? Did you think I was going to wait for the art class to end?_

The bear shook his head and slid his phone back into his pocket, opening the door and then closing it quietly behind him. He was just there to drop his belongings off and then head out to get something to eat as he had skipped breakfast that morning in his rush to finish his homework. He had an hour left until his next class so he needed to be quick.

Keeping his steps quiet, he walked into the room he shared with Springtrap and went over to his bed, dropping his bag down onto the mattress. Grabbing his keys- he didn't feel like eating in the cafeteria that day- and his wallet, he turned around back towards the still-open door-

-and froze. Something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. His brown eyes slide over towards Springtrap's side of the room and saw that, in the rabbit's frantic search through all of his sketchbooks that morning, he had partially pulled the cosmic blanket off of the suitcase stored at the end of his bed.

Only… it _wasn't_ a suitcase.

It _was_ a case, alright. A coal-black, rough, dust-free scuffed case, with a curvy and rounded body and long, thin neck and three clunky silver fastenings on the side. No, it wasn't a _suit_ case.

It was a _guitar_ case.

Goldie stared, a bit slack-jawed, at the partially-uncovered case whose shape was absolutely undeniable without the blanket or the sketchbooks to distract the eye. Actually, he wondered how he had ever thought it was a suitcase in the first place; guitar cases were a very distinct shape, after all, and one thin blanket and a couple stacks of sketchbooks wouldn't change that.

His brown eyes flicked to the door and without really thinking about it, he stepped over to it and quietly closed it, being sure to make no sounds at all so as not to alert his nextdoor neighbor to his presence. _It's probably full of sketchbooks_ , he told himself, making his way over to the case. Oh, he _knew_ he shouldn't do it; it was the biggest faux pas any roommate could commit, going through another's belongings, but he needed to _know_. And what better way to find out than to open the- _most likely sketchbook-filled_ \- case and see for himself?

 _Well, you could just ask him next time you see him instead of snooping even more_ , that voice of reason snarked in his mind, but Goldie pointedly ignored it yet again. He'd already snooped around anyway, it wasn't like he was going through the rabbit's clothes. He knelt down next to the guitar case and slipped the (surprisingly silky and soft) blanket completely off. On the part of the case that he uncovered was a nametag; Durrell S. Franks. In smaller print under the name was scrawled in messy, childish writing, _"Don't touch! That means you, Dante!"_

Goldie let his eyes take in the sight, still disbelieving, as he undid the silver fastenings. Then he opened it and he didn't even know how to feel about what he found. _There's your common ground, Gold._

It _was_ a guitar.

It was an old acoustic guitar, and it was well taken care of- obviously very beloved. It was emerald green on the body and black on the sides, face edge and the neck with shining silver strings. Gold, cursive writing on the face of the guitar simply read _Franks_. There was some damage in the form of scuff marks and a small chip in the side, giving away its age, but aside from that it looked like it wasn't more than a year old.

The golden bear's mind raced. Why did his artist roommate have a guitar that looked well-taken care of? Why did he _hide_ the guitar? Goldie was sure that it was purposefully arranged to hide its shape. He was sure the rabbit had purposefully hidden it. And now he was very curious about why.

He bit his lip, contemplating for several seconds on this new information. He wanted to know more, but did he really want to risk getting involved with that rabbit? He had already determined that _maybe_ the rabbit wasn't so bad after all and his presence didn't even worry him anymore, but…

 _Ya idiot_ , Freddy's voice chastised, _you're already involved. You're his roommate and you've already spoken to him several times, you even practically hung out with him earlier. And that's not even mentionin' how you've snooped and spied on him. Creep. Besides, he's never acted aggressive towards you._

 _But he has towards Mr. Hugh,_ Goldie reminded the voice, softly closing the case again. He was about to flick the clips back into place when another tag attached to the handle caught his attention. Carefully, he lifted the tag so he could read the fancy cursive, fading writing. _Durrell, Merry Christmas! We love you. Please always remember that. Love Mom, Dad, Dante, …_

The last word was vigorously scratched out, but he didn't have time to ponder the words, their meaning, or what the scratched out name even was.

 _Ya don't know if he was bein' aggressive, ya just heard his voice, not seen his face_ , the voice interrupted Goldie's concentration, causing the bear to growl slightly and drop the tag again, losing his train of thought. _Don't'cha remember? That rabbit hasn't done anythin' to ya or said anythin' bad to ya, no matter how much ya deserve it. And ya definitely deserve it._

"Oh shut up," he grumbled as he finished fastening the silver clips, pulling the blanket back up so it covered most of the guitar case again. He sighed and ran his hand over his face. Something was niggling at the back of his mind but he couldn't quite figure it out...

Goldie's eyes trailed up to his left. He wasn't sure why, exactly, but his eyes were drawn to something on the rabbit's bedside table. A picture was sitting right beside the alarm clock in a cherry-wood frame. Of course he'd noticed it before but he had only ever seen the back of it- never the front. Now, curiosity spiking higher than before, he was going to take a look. He got up off of the ground to get closer to the picture, immediately noticing how old and faded it was.

It was a family photo, one quarter of it ripped off but it was clearly a family photo. His eyes zoomed in on the yellow wolf and the black rabbit, instantly recognizing them as younger Mr. Hugh and Mrs. Natalie. There was another black rabbit, this one male, with an arm around a yellow rabbit's shoulders. They were all smiling and laughing while the yellow rabbit lady held a small, dozing golden-coloured rabbit child to her. Standing in front of the black rabbit- the children's father?- was a taller, definitely older just-as-golden child, smiling and reaching up towards his brother who was just out of his reach. The elder child couldn't have been more than eight years old, and there was so much life and energy his his emerald eyes that Goldie could not relate it at all to his timid roommate. He moved his eyes away from the child, trailing over to look at the ebony rabbit again.

From the rip beside Mrs. Natalie, he could just barely see a foot poking into the frame, standing close. He wondered who it was that had been torn out of the picture and why, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead his eyes trailed back to the taller child who looked no more than eight or nine, and he wondered if this was Springtrap or if the younger one was. The energy the child possessed just didn't seem right, and he couldn't exactly determine ages based on the pictures… he didn't exactly know Springtrap's age, after all.

After several moments of just standing there, looking at the old, faded memory, he turned back towards the door, half expecting to see his roommate standing there, watching him angrily. Thankfully, he wasn't.

The rabbit was still in class, he was sure, but that didn't stop his heart rate picking up as he turned around to find the door still firmly shut.

His secret was safe for now, but Goldie's mind was beginning to form an idea. He looked around the rabbit's messy half of the room- sketchbooks still tossed randomly around, lying scattered across the floor and various surfaces- and let his eyes trail over the guitar case and to the photograph again. Curiosity was welling up inside him, as well as a strange desire that didn't really surprise him at all. He had a feeling it had been there for a few days, at least, but now it intensified and he couldn't ignore it any longer. So many things had been building up over one week (really just a few days) alone about his roommate- curious, confusing, interesting things- but the guitar was the latest puzzle piece that he just couldn't figure out, the last piece that just didn't fit with his preconceived notion about the scarred, golden rabbit. Nothing matched up with his first assumptions and that made him maddeningly curious.

His eyes trailed back to the guitar; the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, shaking his head. "Curiosity killed the cat," he repeated Springtrap's earlier words, walking back over to his own side of the room. Immediately, though, his eyes were drawn back to the rabbit's half, the perfect picture of chaos and panic. "But satisfaction _did_ bring it back, Springtrap."

He wanted to get to know his roommate.

* * *

Goldie was working on his exam piece when the rabbit returned around eight o'clock that night. He paused and looked up from his sheet music when Springtrap walked into the room, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of the mess that greeted him. The rabbit looked exhausted, his fur still in disarray and his eyes half closed, bookbag hanging loosely off of his left shoulder. He simply stared at the mess for a few moments before quietly sliding the door shut with his foot.

After the door clicked shut, Springtrap sighed softly to himself and let his bag slide down next to his desk before grabbing the sketchbooks off of said desk to straighten up. Goldie's eyes trailed to the state of the rest of Springtrap's half of the room. He knew picking up sketchbooks wasn't really anything hard but he still couldn't help but feel bad for the rabbit whose posture was a bit slouched and ears drooping very slightly, clearly tired. There were sketchbooks everywhere and it was a lot when you seemed almost dead on your feet.

Perhaps, Goldie thought, he could start that plan now rather than later.

"Want some help?" He casually offered, startling the rabbit yet again. He couldn't help but laugh as Springtrap turned to look at him, green eyes simultaneously cautious and curious. "You're pretty jumpy, aren't'cha?"

"You're the one who keeps speaking suddenly," Springtrap defended lamely, averting his eyes and setting his sketchbooks down on his desk in a neat pile. "I don't need any help, though, thanks…"

"That's a _lot_ of sketchbooks," Goldie pointed out with a raised brow, setting his pencil down. The rabbit hesitated, eyes trailing over to all of the sketchbooks scattered everywhere. "Ya sure ya don't need any help?"

Springtrap seemed hesitant, but after a few moments his ears flattened and he admitted sheepishly, "I'd really appreciate some help…"

Goldie gave him a grin and stood up, stepping over to Springtrap's side of the room to help gather the sketchbooks together. "So why do you have so many sketchbooks?" He asked the rabbit as they gathered the sketchbooks and straightened them out, setting them on the desk temporarily.

"Oh, um, I never throw them out," Springtrap answered, kneeling down to straighten up the blanket on the guitar case. "These are all the sketchbooks I've had since I first began drawing…"

"Ya bring 'em to school with ya?" Goldie blinked, looking down at the sketchbooks in his hands. They were old and damaged but clearly cared for. He wondered if they meant a lot to the golden rabbit.

"It helps to look back on how you've improved," Springtrap explained, and Goldie looked over at him to see he was blushing a bit in embarrassment. "And, uh, sometimes I like to go through them and re-draw something. You know… improve on it."

"I can understand that," Goldie laughed. "Freddy does the same with his writings. Freddy's my other brother, by the way, I don't think you two've met."

"I think not," Springtrap agreed, gathering the sketchbooks on his bed. "I don't know a lot of people outside of the studio art department." He paused for a moment, as though thinking. "Though my roommate last year was rather… frightening. That must sound ironic, though."

Goldie pretended he didn't feel a surge of guilt, instead tilting his head curiously. "Frightening?"

"I was put with a drama student last year… a human, actually," he added, glancing over at Goldie. "I went out of my way to avoid him, he was very loud and mean… to everyone, not just me."

The golden bear didn't admit it made him feel somewhat better that the rabbit had experience with being afraid of his roommate, but he didn't say as much. No need to admit that he was very nervous of the rabbit, something he was sure the rabbit already realized. Instead, he focused on Springtrap's words and tried to remember what Foxy had said about some of his fellow acting students. He remembered the vulpine talking about one actor who was especially mean… "Umm… was it… what was his name… Patrick?"

"Patrick sounds right, yeah… I don't really remember," Springtrap admitted, fidgeting with the books in his hands.

"Foxy's mentioned him before," Goldie told him. "He's got some problems, but he's an amazing actor." He set a stack of sketchbooks down next to a cherry-wood box on Springtrap's desk, his eyes being drawn to the gold plate on top. _'Durrell; Sing, My Sweet Songbird, and always remember that we love you so much more than you know. Elaine, Edmund, and Dante.'_ Those names yet again. They must have been close to his roommate. "Hey- who's Elaine, Edmund, and Dante?" He asked curiously, turning to look at Sprintrap.

Springtrap stumbled and fell silent and still, his eyes trained on the ground in front of him. But it was only for a moment. He looked up at Goldie, forcing a tight smile; there seemed to be steel in his eyes, though. "Oh- Elaine, Edmund, and Dante Franks. Those are the names of my parents and my brother," he answered almost mechanically, walking over to the desk. Goldie, respectfully, backed away from the desk and, in extension, the box; he had a feeling this was a subject the rabbit did not want to get into. "That was a gift for my sixteenth birthday, from them," he mumbled in simple explanation, and Goldie watched as he moved the box and opened a desk drawer, slipping it inside. _Yeah, definitely off limits_.

"Well, it's a nice box. Looks kind of expensive," he added, but he turned his attention elsewhere before the rabbit could respond. "Where do you keep most of these things, by the way? I don't remember seeing this many before."

The rabbit relaxed, clearly happy that the subject was dropped. "I stashed some of them in my suitcase," he answered, lightly nudging the suitcase in front of his desk. Goldie had no idea when he had grabbed it off of his rack; he figured it must have been while he was picking up sketchbooks from the bed. Springtrap began putting sketchbooks back in their places; some stacked up on the desk, others stacked up on the guitar case, and some even stacked up on the floor under his desk. Goldie shrugged and proceeded to begin packing the sketchbooks away in the suitcase since Springtrap had said he stored some of them in there.

 _I wonder how he'd react if I ask about Hugh and Natalie_ , he thought to himself, but he chose not to risk it. That was a question for another day.

Soon, the sketchbooks were all back in their places and Springtrap collapsed onto his bed, clearly relieved to be sitting (really lying) down. Goldie found this amusing and dropped back down into his seat, picking up his pencil to twirl between his fingers. "Hey, do ya mind if I just call ya Spring?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

Springtrap blinked and looked over at him, brow furrowed. "Why?"

"It feels weird callin' someone 'trap,'" he answered with a shrug. "Besides, Spring's just a nicer name, I think." And cuter, but he wasn't going to add that part. He wasn't sure how the bunny would react to it. He knew he himself wouldn't appreciate it much.

The rabbit seemed to be thinking about it, but then he shrugged and laid his head back down, closing his eyes to relax. "Call me whatever you want. Except my first name. Call me that and I'll never talk to you again."

Goldie chuckled, having no doubt that that was true. He decided to take a bit of a risk, see how his roommate would react to a little friendly banter. "I think Spring is a fine name! Or would you rather Springaling?" He added teasingly, watching as the rabbit's eyes snapped open.

"Oh god you noticed that?"

"I notice everything!" Goldie declared with a grin. He watched as Spring's face went blank and he suddenly felt nervous. He could practically _see_ the gears turning even before the challenging smirk slid onto the golden rabbit's face, some of the exhaustion fading away. _Huh._

"You notice _everything_ , huh?" Spring asked innocently and Goldie was wondering- and worrying about- just what the tired rabbit was thinking. He wasn't about to back down though. _Challenge: Accepted._

"Yep!" He answered instead with false bravado… just a moment before a pillow smacked him in the face. He yelped and caught the (very fluffy) pillow as it fell, staring at the grinning rabbit. "Did'ja really just throw a pillow at me?" He sputtered, eyes wide. _Was not expecting that..._

"You said you notice everything. I was just putting your words to the test," Spring answered innocently, watching Goldie with a sleep-dulled, mischief-sparked gaze. The golden bear could clearly tell that the only reason that the golden rabbit risked such a move was because his exhaustion impaired his thought process and risk assessment, so Goldie decided there was no harm in reciprocating. Since the rabbit was lying down, there was no way he was able to dodge the pillow as it flew back at him, but he _did_ catch it with a short laugh.

Goldie grinned, knowing that this emerging pillow fight was completely immature- especially for two adult men in college- but loving it anyway; it was just what anyone needed to unwind after the most stressful week of their lives thus far. He just barely dodged as the pillow flew back at him and hit the wall, diving towards his own bed and his many pillows as yet another of the rabbit's pillows smacked the wall over his head, falling down on him. _Oh this is war now!_ He thought gleefully, noting the rabbit sitting up now and preparing his final pillow. Goldie beat him to the punch, though, and one of his own pillows sailed through the air. Spring ducked down, but the pillow managed to get one of his ears and Goldie took that as a small victory. The rabbit and bear both laughed childishly as they continued to throw pillows at each other, their tiredness and awkward, tense air forgotten.

Things proceeded in much the same way, the two leaving their beds so that it was easier to dodge the pillows being thrown, laughter filling the air between them as they dodged and threw pillows at each other. Eventually they even got close enough to one another to smack the other dead on with a pillow without releasing or throwing it, and their childish battle began to tire them out further. By the time Alfred barged in the door to demand what the hell was going on, at least one of the pillows (Goldie wasn't sure whose it was) had split open and spat feathers everywhere, a pile of sketchbooks as well as Goldie's music stand were toppled over, a pillow was caught in Goldie's storage rack, Spring's alarm clock was on the ground, and the two were sitting in the middle of the floor, laughing and completely carefree and physically exhausted as the feathers from the ruined pillow settled on and around them, each still clutching a pillow in their hands.

They snapped their gazes up to Alfred, their laughter abruptly stopping but their grins remaining in place, each struggling to not laugh even more at Alfred's gobsmacked expression. Alfred stared, wide-eyed with a slightly open mouth, at the mess and then back to the feather-coated duo. "What in the world happened here?" He finally asked after several seconds of pure silence. The golden roommates exchanged a glance and began laughing again, leaving Alfred thoroughly confused.

"I think Spring here just made me eat my words," Goldie finally answered between laughs. Of course he knew Spring would take that to mean the "I notice everything" comment, but the expression on Alfred's face told him that his brother understood the true meaning. "It's called a pillow fight~" he added teasingly, causing the rabbit next to him to laugh more, hiding his face in his pillow (which Goldie noticed was actually his own and not the rabbit's, but he didn't particularly care).

Alfred gazed around at the messy room, and from behind him the now-familiar face of Marion peeked in, raising a thin brow at them and the mess. "Who knew Springtrap could be so destructive," he chuckled, watching the rabbit's cheeks flush.

"Seriously. My brother's already gotten to him," Alfred sighed dramatically. "Sorry, Springtrap, it's too late for ya now, he's draggin' ya down with him."

Spring snorted at that and Goldie gave Alfred a mock hurt look. "Alfred! I'm only leading him down the path of fun!" He declared, gesturing around. "See, nothing's even broken!" He paused as a feather landed in his palm as if to prove him wrong. "Except a feather pillow. But that can be replaced! Besides, _I_ didn't start it."

Marion looked at Spring, looking almost surprised. Spring flushed even more.

"I don't know why," Spring mumbled sheepishly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. It was Goldie's turn to laugh… again.

"Because it was the closest non-lethal object to throw at me?" He suggested, getting a quiet snort from the rabbit.

"Your fault for lying about noticing everything."

"Okay, did something happen that I missed?" Alfred suddenly asked. "Because last time I checked, you two were hardly on speaking terms."

Goldie shrugged slightly while the rabbit fidgeted. "Like I told you, I hung around his class while he drew. He owed it to me, anyway, after knocking me down."

The rabbit's cheeks became even _more_ red and he stuttered a bit. "H-hey! You were the one standing in the doorway…!"

"You weren't watchin' where you were goin'," Goldie shot back with a smug little grin. "If ya hadn't been zipping around corners like some cross-country runner-"

"Wait, what?"

Eyes wide, they both turned back to Alfred. Goldie was now embarrassed as well. He hadn't meant to mention that to Alfred. Or in front of him. _Dammit._

"Oh, uh, I forgot my assignment this morning and had to come back for it… when I got back to class, he was there in the doorway," Spring explained quickly.

"He was runnin'," Goldie deadpanned. Alfred slowly began grinning as he realized what had happened. The bear quickly realized what the younger was thinking. "Alfred, don't you dare-"

"I am _so_ gonna tell Freddy!"

"Alfred, get back here! Stop- agh!- Alfred!"

"Wait, wha- no, p-please don't, that's embarrassing!"

" _Freddy_!"

"Alfred!"

The golden duo watched, wide-eyed, as the youngest bear disappeared out of the dorm, a knocking across the hall reaching their ears. Both of them had attempted to get up and chase him but the feathers on the hardwood floor caused them to fumble and slip back down, so both were sprawled out on the floor side by side. Marion just watched them, a small amused smirk and a raised brow, as Freddy's confused voice answered Alfred's knocking.

"Aw damn," Goldie sighed, letting his head drop down onto the ground. "I'm never livin' it down."

"Well, look on the bright side, you don't have to live with any of them until Christmas," Spring pointed out, pushing himself up after sweeping clear a spot on the floor for his hands. Goldie watched him as he began running his fingers through his fur, removing the feathers from where they had collected. "And it's not like I have a reason to hold it over you," he added quietly, embarrassment flitting through his eyes.

"That's true," Goldie agreed, sitting up as well. He brushed the feathers out of his own fur and watched them curiously. The sight of them clinging to his fur and drifting lazily to the floor brought an idea to mind, and in his tired state he thought it was the _perfect_ ending to a good day and stressful week. He looked at Spring, a devious little grin on his lips. "So, uh- do you also happen to have a feather pillow or is this most definitely mine?" He asked casually, picking up some feathers around him.

"I have a feather pillow too," the rabbit confirmed with a small laugh. "But this is most definitely yours. Mine's trapped up there," he added, jerking his thumb in the direction of Goldie's storage rack. Goldie just looked at the pale blue pillow and snorted.

"Wonderful," he laughed, grinning and picking up another handful of feathers and turning back to Spring. "Then I have no reason to feel bad about suggesting we get revenge on Alfred using these. Say anything, Marion, and I'll get revenge on you too."

Marion lifted his hands in a defensive gesture, a small, amused smile on his face. "I have class in ten minutes. Your plan is safe."

Goldie's grin widened as his eye's met Spring's, who was watching him with a curious, mischievous glint in his own eyes. He had no regrets about how this day went. He'd found common ground- and then more. "Alright then! Here's the plan~!"


	8. Arc III, Part III

**Arc III, Part III**

 **Revenge: Best Served Sweet**

"Shh, be quiet or we'll get caught!"

"You're the one giggling like a schoolgirl...!"

"I am not!"

"Shhh!"

The golden roommates paused as they heard footsteps in the room next door to them, Spring's ears perked and listening just in case they began approaching their door. They both sat cross-legged on the floor between their beds, a few empty jars, a couple golden-filled jars, two large buckets, a net, the pile of feathers, and an array of bottles of sprinkles and different coloured glitter scattered on the floor around and between them. When the footsteps stopped and they heard the sound of bedsprings (or Spring heard them and told Goldie; it was too quiet for Goldie to pick up on) they continued pouring the sticky, thick golden liquid from the jars into the bucket.

"If your brother doesn't kill us for this, I'll be surprised," Spring said to Goldie quietly, his ears still perked and listening for any changes.

"I'll be disappointed if he doesn't try to retaliate, at least," Goldie chuckled, using a spoon he had "kidnapped" from the cafeteria to get as much of the liquid as possible out. His hands were covered and sticky with honey, and though normally that would bother him he chose not to give it much mind right then, knowing that it would be worth it in the end.

To be honest, Goldie was actually surprised Spring was so open to a revenge prank, despite what Alfred did not being so bad... Of course, it probably helped that they were able to hear the bears and bunny and fox laughing all the way from their room... His only protest had been that they not use glue and had been the one to suggest honey instead; just as sticky but won't devastate the youngest bear's fur. He supposed, really, he shouldn't be too surprised; Spring was the one who had initiated the pillow fight. Granted, that was already after Goldie had helped him, shortened his nickname, and teased him about it, so maybe the rabbit had decided to let his guard down a bit around him, but still.

"I'm almost afraid of how he'll respond," Spring muttered, using his own kidnapped spoons to scrape out the last of the sweet liquid. "I mean- I don't think I'd be happy if I'd basically been tarred and feathered."

"Minus the tar," Goldie snorted. "We should probably put covers down in the living room, so no honey gets into the carpet. At least the bedrooms are hardwood."

"You know they're probably gonna make us clean it up, right?"

Goldie grinned a bit. "That's where bein' able to run away and hide comes in handy." Spring rolled his eyes at that response but he smiled slightly anyway. The bear couldn't help but feel a little smug about that.

"This is going to be impossible to set up."

"Not if we're careful~! Alfred sleeps like a rock."

"Keep your voice down, even the dead would wake with you talking that loud," Spring muttered, setting his empty jars aside and getting up to go wash his hands. Goldie got up to follow, having finished completely emptying his own jars as well.

They scrubbed the honey out of their fur (Goldie making a snarky comment about the honey-scented soap Spring used) and dried off their hands before creeping back out into the common room. It was nearly midnight now; Marion was eying them suspiciously as he packed up for his midnight class and the duo waved innocently. When they got back to their room, Spring said, "I can run to the art store quickly and get some covers to put on the floor."

"How far is the art store?" Goldie asked curiously, watching as Spring pulled open his side table and pulled out a set of keys. So they rabbit _did_ have a car. Interesting.

"Five minutes. I can be there and back before you're finished with the sprinkles," he said with a smirk. "My car's in the southern lot."

"Lucky!" Goldie laughed, shaking his head. "Not even a two minute walk from the dorm. Mine's in the western lot."

"Tough luck," Spring snorted softly, sitting down on his bed to pull a pair of socks and shoes on. "Least it's not north, though, yeah?"

"Oh yeah, Chica's car is in the northern lot."

"Youch."

He watched the rabbit stand up. Neither of them had bothered to change into their night clothes, so the rabbit was still dressed to go out and was wide awake- unlike a few hours before before their pillow fight- so Goldie wasn't really worried about anything.

"Just start pouring those into their buckets, I'll be back," the rabbit told him, heading towards the door. He held his keys in a way that prevented them from jingling, and as he quietly closed the door behind him, Goldie got to work, opening the sparkles and sprinkles and began pouring them into another bucket, carefully shaking it so they moved and mixed together as evenly as they could. He then began dumping the feathers into the net, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Spring returned after about fifteen minutes, carrying carefully-folded silver coverings in his arms. They didn't look very light so Goldie jumped up and took them from the rabbit, dropping them down on his own bed. "So, these are what we need to cover the living room in?" He asked, looking curiously at the silver tarp-like things. Spring sat down to remove his shoes and slip his keys back into their rightful place, but he nodded in confirmation. "Awesome."

"We'll need to weigh them down along the edges, so they don't get pulled up by the doors," Spring warned him, stretching and standing up again. He took one of the covers and crept back out into the common room. Goldie followed suit, and they began carefully covering every inch of carpet. They covered the television and couches for good measure as well. Then came the complicated part; setting the buckets up.

It took a lot of finagling, but eventually they had it all set up, rigged up with ropes and balanced with light weights so nothing fell before it was meant to. Thankfully, both of them knew how physics worked so it wasn't all _that_ hard to set everything up. Prior to rigging the door, Spring had even managed to slip a video camera with full battery into the room to record what happens, and Goldie did the same with his own (digital) camera out in the common room. To be sure everything went according to plan, they left a note for Marion on the coffee table to not approach his and Alfred's doors and giving him permission to use their bathroom if need be, knowing when he returned he would settle in the living room rather than the bedroom to do his work.

It was almost one in the morning when they were finished, and both of them were glad that the school did not do general Friday classes. When they got back to their room they both crawled into their beds and fell fast asleep, tired from the frantic week and the excitement of the evening.

The next morning, though, they were woken to a sharp, "manly" shriek of " _what the hell?!"_

Goldie was disoriented for a few moments and a look over at Spring showed the rabbit was too, sitting up and rubbing his eyes and staring at the door in confusion. Then Goldie remembered what was happening and practically flew out of bed and to the door, pulling it open right in time to see his youngest brother's door open. Spring seemed to remember what they had done and climbed out of bed, peeking over his shoulder right in time to see the sprinkles and glitter fall over the honey-covered bear. Goldie covered his mouth to try and stifle his growing laughter and behind him he could hear Spring attempting to muffle his own laughter.

Alfred, confused and disoriented, didn't notice the third part of the trap and walked right into it, twisting the net above him around and sending a shower of feathers over him, clinging to the sticky, sparkly liquid in his fur. The bear wiped the feather-sprinkley-glitter coated honey out of his face and turned to look at Goldie and Springtrap, eyes wide and disbelieving. That was too much for Goldie, and he finally burst out laughing, completely collapsing to the ground and holding his stomach.

"Oh my god!" He laughed, wiping a not-so-imaginary tear from his eye. "That's amazing! It looks like a rainbow bird exploded on you!"

 _That_ was apparently too much for Spring, who, though he had already been laughing, began laughing even harder. He held onto the doorframe and leaned against it instead of letting himself collapse to the floor- which, in retrospect, Goldie was glad about because he probably would have landed on _him_.

Alfred continued to stare at them, none of them noticing the concerned knocks on their door. Then he yelled, "What the hell, Gold?!"

"That's for squealin'!" Goldie finally said between gasps for breath. Sure, telling the others wasn't really a big deal, but really, Goldie felt he and Spring both deserved a nice pick-me-up, and what better pick-me-up was there than a good prank?

The door suddenly burst open- undoubtedly Foxy had picked the lock so they could get in- and Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy, and Mike all tumbled in, freezing at the sight that greeted them.

Goldie laughed even harder at their expressions as they took in the sight of a sparkling honey-and-feather covered Alfred, and behind him he heard Spring slide to the ground, finally unable to support himself with how hard he was laughing himself.

"Goldie, what the hell happened in here?" Freddy asked over the sound of the golden roommates' laughter, lip twitching in a way that told Goldie he was struggling to not begin laughing as well. Foxy quickly gave up the fight and burst into raucous laughter, pointing at Alfred and promptly collapsing onto the floor (inadvertently dragging his mute, silently laughing roommate down with him). Bonnie's own laughter began as a quiet snickering which quickly evolved into guffaws. Freddy was the only one to retain even a semblance of neutrality.

"Revenge happened!" He answered gleefully as he finally calmed down. "Spring and I planned it all out and stayed up late to pull it off, too."

"Very late," Spring added quietly, breaking out into a yawn. Goldie hadn't realized how sleepy he himself was until that moment, fighting off a yawn himself. "What time is it?" Spring questioned through another yawn; clearly the late night and exhausting day were catching up to him.

"Six in the morning," Marion answered from his spot by the coffee table, startling almost everyone in the room; none of them had noticed the silent student sitting there, watching the scene play out.

Spring blinked and looked back towards his bedside clock, looking a mix of confused and surprised. "Huh…"

"Y'all scared all of us right out of bed," Bonnie finally said with a grin. Goldie noticed a couple strangers from the dorms around peeking inside the still-open door, most dressed in their night clothes and all snickering at the sight of Alfred. Seemed like the prank was good morale for _everyone_.

Goldie finally stood up and stretched, going over to his camera and stopping the recording. He was glad his camera was long-lasting with a lot of memory… Alfred just stared at him, his mouth falling open in shock. "You recorded that?!"

"Yep!" Goldie laughed, grinning, then went over to his youngest brother's room to grab Spring's camera from where it was pointing at Alfred's bed. "Y'know, for the future," he added with a grin, stopping the recording after pointing it at Alfred.

"Oi, Goldie, ya jerk!"

"Hey, recordin' it wasn't my idea! And be glad Spring was there or it'd be glue instead of honey."

"I'd rather it been nothin'!"

Goldie noticed Freddy's attention suddenly shift over to Spring. "Oh, you must be Mr. Franks," he said, getting the rabbit's attention. Spring looked up at Freddy, blinking in confusion before giving a sheepish smile.

"Mr. Franks is my dad- I'm not quite _that_ old yet, you know." Goldie snorted because, really, the rabbit hardly looked old enough to be driving- even less to have kids. "I just go by Springtrap," he added.

"Well now I've dubbed him Spring," Goldie told the others quickly, ignoring the looks they (minus Mike) gave him. "So you guys should too."

Spring looked at him with a strange expression, not noticing the way Goldie's friends were watching the bear. "You didn't "dub" me Spring, you heard Mrs. Natalie call me "Spring.""

"Correction, I heard her call you "Springy," "Springaling," and "Durrell Spring Franks,"" Goldie countered. "Never just "Spring.""

"Well, it's nice to meet'cha finally, Spring," Bonnie interrupted, yawning, "but it _is_ six AM on a Friday, and I think it's safe to say all of us want more sleep."

"Not me! I want a shower and for Goldie to clean up the mess he made!"

"Revenge, suck'a!"

Freddy sighed and cast his eyes towards the sky as his brothers started arguing. He hoped dearly that this wouldn't become an everyday occurrence. Goldie, on the other hand, didn't mind now that he knew his roommate was perfectly willing to go along with stupid ideas and just have fun. _He's really not so bad after all._

For now, though, the rabbit had taken advantage of the distraction and slipped away back to bed, nuzzling into his blankets and pillows as he listened to the brothers argue, a small, contented smile finding its way to his lips. He had surprised himself that evening, honestly, but it wasn't a bad surprise. Goldie Fazbear wasn't so bad after all.

He hadn't had that much fun in years.

 **End Arc III**


	9. Extras II

**Extras II**

' _Hey Freddy!'_

The bear's lips twitched up into a smile as he read the simple, short text. He didn't need to look at the name to know who it was; Chica was the only one who who always started her text conversations like that.

' _Hey Chica. Need something?'_ His response was simple, to the point, but she knew him well enough to know he wasn't brushing her off and Freddy knew that.

' _Nope! Just wanted to chat! Bonnie and I are planning on going to the movies this weekend, wanna come?'_

Freddy raised a brow at that, noting it was just her and Bonnie- not her sister or Bonnie's brother, too. Of course, maybe they planned it and were just inviting everyone… _'Who all's going?'_ He decided to ask.

' _Just Bonnie and me. And hopefully you, if you agree!'_

That was curious, and Freddy tried to ignore that strange feeling rising inside his chest. He quickly made a choice. _'I don't want to intrude on y'all's date, Chica.'_

Chica took a moment to respond and he knew immediately that she wasn't giving up so easily.

' _It's not intruding when we want you to come.'_ That was the response that came back.

No denial that it was a date. But why in the world would they invite him along for their date? Why would they even want him to come along? _'Not sure that'd be very fun. I don't want to make things awkward, you know.'_

' _Please?'_

It was a simple response and Freddy could just imagine her little pout, looking up through her lashes with the most adorable puppy-dog expression possible. _Why did I imagine it, now I can't refuse…!_

After a few moments, he finally responded, _'Is Bonnie even alright with it?'_

' _Of course! He's actually the one who suggested it!'_

Now _that_ was unexpected. Bonnie was the one to suggest bringing Freddy along on their date? Neither of them had ever suggested such a thing before and it made him feel really funny, his mind swimming with thoughts.

' _We'll see,'_ he finally replied, and he knew as well as Chica did that that meant he was giving in.

' _Yay! Sunday at 8! Goodnight, Freddy, seeya in the morning!'_

' _Sleep well, Chica.'_

Freddy set his phone down and looked up at the ceiling, fingers tracing the edges of the book he had been reading. It was almost eleven and Bonnie wasn't back yet, but he had a feeling Bonnie was with Chica and watching their text exchange. He sighed and closed his eyes, listening to Foxy chatting to Mike next door.

 _I must be gettin' sick,_ he excused to himself, knowing already that it was a lie. The feeling in his chest still didn't fade, so he marked his page and set it on his bedside table, shut his lamp off, and settled down to sleep. _Yeah, that's all. Just gettin' sick._

* * *

It was nearly noon when Goldie woke up the next day, blinking sluggishly at his clock. It registered dully in his mind that he didn't usually sleep this late and took a moment to remember his late night a early morning awakening. He muffled a small laugh and slid out of bed, eyes flicking over to the rabbit's bed.

The bed was empty, but it looked like it had been vacated in a rush with the comforter spilling onto the floor and the sheets still rumpled. Goldie briefly wondered if the rabbit had a Friday class but noticed the rabbit's old black bag laying on the floor next to his desk still. _No, no class_ , he thought with a yawn. _So where is he?_

He lazily changed clothes, pulled his shoes on and wandered out, not bothering with brushing his fur. The common room was still covered with the silver floor covers and feathers and such, but he ignored that, heading straight for the door and towards the building's entrance on the first floor. When he was finally outside in the sunlight, he turned and began walking… somewhere. He wasn't sure where. However, along his way to wherever, he spotted a golden coloured dot by the edge of the pond and without really thinking about it, changed his course across the grass.

It was his roommate... which he already knew; there weren't any other golden-furred creatures on campus, to Goldie's knowledge (and yellow isn't gold!). Spring was sitting in the shade of a tree, his back pressed against the trunk and a sketchbook on his raised knees. His left hand was sitting lazily across his sketchbook, pencil hanging precariously between his index and middle fingers, and his right hand was lying across his knees. When Goldie got close enough, he noticed that the rabbit's eyes were closed, his head leaning back against the trunk. _Did he fall asleep?_

No. The rabbit's ears twitched and he opened his eyes, looking over at the bear as he approached. He blinked owlishly and Goldie grinned, giving him a slight wave. After a moment the rabbit gave a small, soft smile in return and lifted his free hand in greeting.

"Hey," Goldie said when he was close enough, stopping beside the rabbit. "Mind some company?"

Spring didn't give a verbal response, but he shook his head slightly and gestured to the ground next to him. Goldie grinned and dropped down next to him, leaning back in the grass and glancing at his roommate's sketchbook. It wasn't the pond; it was a sketch of a person, a rabbit based on the ears, turned slightly away from the viewer with a smile. It looked like they were turning. It was a nice sketch and he wondered who it was but he didn't ask. Instead he watched as Spring picked his pencil back up and continued drawing, both content to enjoy the companionable silence.

* * *

The light brown bear and the bright blue rabbit were sitting side by side on the side of central campus' fountain, the latter strumming his red guitar and the former humming along to the tune, the portable amplifier sitting next to Bonsai's feet turned to the lowest volume setting. Neither of them were saying much as they waited for their brothers and friends to show up.

Alfred was watching the cloudy sky boredly as he hummed, lightly kicking his foot against the brick of the fountain and leaning slightly back. He had texted his brothers ten minutes before and Bonsai had done the same, but thus far neither had gotten a response. Finally, he sighed and, desperate for any kind of conversation, he turned to his relatively-new friend and asked, "Hey, I'm curious, but how did you tell your parents you were actually a guy?"

The rabbit paused, his last note fading as he turned to look at Alfred with a raised brow. "I just said "Mom, dad, I'm a guy." They didn't take it too well."

The bear snorted. "Of course they didn't, seeing as I already know what happened after. What did they say though?"

"Ah, y'know… Something like "you're not our daughter!" You know, typical stuff like that," Bonsai waved his hand dismissively, ignoring the surprised look on Alfred's face. Then a small grin slid onto Bonsai's lips. "And I just said duh, I just told you I'm a guy." Alfred laughed a bit at that, but it was short-lived as he really thought about it. Bonsai's parents had sent him away, separating him from everything he ever knew. They had basically disowned him.

"I wonder if our parents would disown us for being ourselves," he sighed, kicking his foot against the fountain again.

"If they're anything like mine and being yourself includes something "not normal" then hell yeah they would," Bonsai grumbled, turning his gaze back to his guitar. "Aren't your parents the ones who don't even like you and Fredbear?" Alfred winced slightly at the blunt question and glanced aside, a small frown settling on his face. He couldn't deny it.

"Yeah," he confirmed with a sigh. "They don't like Goldie or me. Freddy, now… Freddy is everythin' to 'em. He's the straight-A's, perfect score, double-major, super talented, very polite, can-sing-any-song-you-put-in-front-of-him prodigy son." Alfred knew he sounded bitter, and to an extent he was; growing up, getting their parents' approval had been everything to _him_. But he had given up on that. He knew he and Goldie meant the world to Freddy, and Freddy meant the world to them. They had each other and their friends so who needed their parents? "Meanwhile, I was barely scrapin' by in the academics and Goldie couldn't play any instruments to save his life- we just weren't perfect enough for 'em. Yeah- they don't like us. They didn't even care that Goldie had the highest marks in chorus and musical composition or that I had the highest marks in instruments and listenin'."

Bonsai listened to Alfred's small rant with a frown of his own, his hand resting above the strings of his guitar. Deciding he wanted to direct the conversation away from their parents, he curiously asked, "What instruments do you play?"

"Did," Alfred corrected quietly, glancing at the sky again. "I dropped 'em when I realized it meant nothin'. And it was piano, violin, and cello."

"Classy instruments," Bonsai noted, glancing at the bear. Alfred looked back at him, looking almost amused.

"Actually guitar was one of the instruments I wanted to learn, it was my parents who wouldn't let that happen and made me take violin instead," Alfred admitted. "Said it wasn't fit for a Fazbear. Said we weren't country bumpkins."

That made Bonsai laugh in disbelief- partly because Alfred's parents had insulted what Bonsai believed to be the best instrument ever and partly because the Fazbear brothers all had very noticeable, strong "country" accents. He decided to concentrate on the latter rather than the former; it was funnier. "Man, y'all got some of the stronger accents I've heard so far," he pointed out with a grin. "If your name wasn't Fazbear and y'all didn't wear those tophats and fancy clothes I'd have thought y'all came from a farm!"

Alfred chuckled along with him, a genuine smile replacing his forced amusement. "I'd'a rather grown up on a farm, to be honest. At least then I'd have some real life skills."

The two snickered together for a bit before Bonsai's ears twitched. He looked up towards the sidewalk coming from the dorms to see his brother and Freddy approaching them. "About time!" He complained, sticking his tongue out at Bonnie.

Bonnie grinned back and formed an L with his index finger and thumb. Alfred snorted at the childish display between the brothers. "You cannot rush perfection, Bonsai!"

"Perfection was already here waiting for your furry tail to arrive," Bonsai shot back, standing up and still holding his guitar. "Where are the others?"

"Chica and Chick are getting ready still, Vixy and Endie are waiting for them, Foxy is locating Mike right now to drag him along with us, and we honestly have no clue whatsoever where Goldie is," Bonnie answered his brother's questions with a shrug. "He isn't answering his phone."

"Probably has it silenced," Freddy mused, rolling his eyes. "And I think I know where he is."

"... If Goldie doesn't show up or answer, can we steal his keys and go to Redfinger's?"

"Yes, Al, yes we can."

"Awesome."

* * *

The blonde fumbled slightly with his books, nervously looking around the darkened campus. There were lights out, of course, but they were spread apart and left long stretches of black between them. Taking a deep breath, the human steeled himself and began walking, ignoring the urge to sprint to the next lighted area.

 _Come on, Jer, you can do this_ , he told himself, forcing air steadily into his lungs. His heart was racing. It was so _dark_ and he was so _alone_ and and and…

He paused midstep, realizing there were footsteps nearby. His mind froze up; it was nearly ten o'clock, who would be out so late? He himself was only out because he lost track of time in the library, working on his short story assignment…

The footsteps steadily got closer and closer, and soon he realized that they were approaching him. Swallowing a terrified cry, he continued walking, eyes fixated on the light. When he reached the light, he paused and turned around to see who was behind him.

The person walking along the path behind him was a tall human with messy black hair and pale skin. The darkness his the colour of the taller man's eyes, but in the night the first thing that crossed Jeremy's mind was _vampire!_

His body frozen, he watched as the taller student approached. He didn't relax until the other stepped into the light and he could clearly see that the student had silver-grey eyes, not red or black or something else… creepy.

The relief was short lived, however, when the other student stopped and looked at him, one thin, dark brow raised in questioning. "Hm?"

A terrified squeak left the blonde's lips and he immediately began fumbling to apologize, struggling to get the words out. Finally, though, he managed to stutter out, "S-s-sss-s-s-sor-r-rr-ry…!"

He expected laughter. He expected a sneer. He expected the taller man to tell him to get the hell out of his way. He expected some comment about his stutter, about his intelligence, something, anything like that. What he was not expected was the response he got.

"Whatever are you apologizing for?" The man's voice was surprisingly soothing, even if it was deep. It was almost like silk or velvet and Jeremy found himself relaxing despite his fear.

"F-f-fff-f-f-for st-ss-s-st-sta-arr-ring," he managed, cheeks flushing red. His stutter wasn't usually _that_ bad…

"You are afraid of the dark. It is only natural," the man dismissed. "Everyone is cautious when they are afraid."

He only flushed a deeper red at that; was he really read so easily? "Yy-y-you're n-n-n-ot b-b-both-thered b-by th-the d-d-dda-dark?"

"No," was the simple response. It wasn't short, it wasn't testy, it wasn't aggressive, it was just a statement- as though it was a fact of life. "I rather like the dark, actually. I hold no fear of it."

 _I wish I could be like that,_ the blonde thought to himself, fidgeting with his books. "Wh-wh-who are y-y-you?" He asked curiously; no one had really spoken to him this long. Even teachers preferred speaking to him in notes. "I-I-I've n-n-nev-ver s-ss-seen y-y-you-you b-b-before…"

"My name is Marion," the man introduced, shifting his sketchbook to his other arm and holding his right hand out as if to shake. "Marion Strings. And you?"

Nervously reaching his own hand out to lightly clasp the larger, paler hand, the blonde responded, "I'm J-J-Jeremy. J-J-Jeremy F-F-Fitzgerald."

Marion gave him a calm smile before letting go of the shyer man's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Jeremy."

* * *

 **A/N** : Posting this with Arc III, Part III since it was so short (it was approx. half the length of a normal chapter).

And now Jeremy has been introduced, whoo! Also, I know stuttering isn't like that; that's why I mentioned in-text that it usually isn't so bad. It's only because he's scared/nervous. Once he's relaxed, his stutter will be more natural.

So, if you can't tell, there's gonna be three "Silent Songbirds" in this fic. Care to guess who?


	10. Arc IV, Part I

" _Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth."_

-Pablo Picasso

* * *

 **Arc IV, Part I**

 **Little Mysteries**

"So let me get this straight, you're the oldest of six, your name is Frederick Fazbear but people call you Golden Freddy because you and Freddy look alike and- what, he was the one everyone knew?- and instead of rejecting that you chose to embrace it and just shorten it to Goldie?"

"Pretty much."

The rabbit gave him a strange look, his brows drawn together, for several long seconds, but then he simply shrugged and turned back to his canvas. "Alright then."

"Not the reaction I'm used to," Goldie commented, raising a brow in bemusement. The rabbit seemed to accept it so easily while others questioned his logic; why take on a nickname that was meant to insult you? Most people couldn't understand it.

"What right do I have? I did the exact same thing," Spring pointed out softly, glancing over at him as his ears twitched. It was Friday, just past one thirty and the two of them were sitting (standing, in Spring's case) out by the pond over the bridge. Goldie had come across the rabbit around noon sketching out by the pond. The rabbit had soon decided that he wanted to work on one of his projects and Goldie just followed along, watching amused as Spring got frustrated with the clouds rolling in to change the lighting.

"You mean with the name Springtrap?" Goldie asked curiously, leaning back on the grass to watch him.

"Yea," Spring nodded in confirmation, eyes trained out over the pond again as he continued painting his landscape. "It wasn't a secret that my middle name is Spring, so a lot of my classmates called me that instead of Durrell. After my accident, though, some of the meaner kids started calling me Springtrap." The rabbit couldn't help but smile a bit, and though it was a soft smile there was an almost-surprising bitter edge to it. "I figured nothing would piss them off more than me accepting it happily and referring to myself as Springtrap, too. Make it into something positive. It just sort of stuck, I guess, even with me. Even when I moved I kept the name Springtrap… but I suppose that might have been because I wanted to drop the name Durrell..." His words trailed off, sounding thoughtful and almost sad.

Goldie glanced aside, deciding not to ask about the move or the name. "What was the accident? Um, if you don't mind me asking, that is," he added quickly so the rabbit knew he didn't have to answer if it was a sensitive subject.

However, he needn't even worry about that as Spring just shrugged, not looking bothered at all. "When I was eleven I was in a car accident," he answered simply. "That's what gave me these," he added, gesturing to… pretty much all of him. But Goldie knew what he meant. "It doesn't bother me anymore, I came to terms with it all," he added with a softer tone, one that told Goldie that just because he came to terms with it didn't mean he was happy about it.

"When you were eleven, huh? That's still primary school, yeah?" Goldie asked, glancing aside; of course he knew it was but how was he supposed to know how the rabbit's old school system worked? For all he knew the rabbit could have attended an academy of some kind or even been homeschooled...

"Yeah, right before kids turn into beasts of hell," the rabbit muttered a confirmation and Goldie snorted. "Seriously, middle school kids… just… no. And high school isn't much better…"

"Strange for a rabbit to not like kids," he teased the golden rabbit who just shrugged in response.

"Kids are fine, I guess, but I would never want to go to middle school or high school again."

"Here here," Goldie agreed flatly, holding up his bottled water as though it was a wine glass. Now it was Spring's turn to laugh, glancing at him over his shoulder. "So that was when you were eleven, how long ago was that?"

"What a roundabout way of asking how old I am…"

"Just answer the question," Goldie pouted, getting a snort in response. Spring seemed to be debating whether or not to answer and Goldie whined, "Spriiiiing!"

"Ten years," the rabbit finally told him with a soft laugh. Goldie was only slightly surprised; even though the rabbit looked like he was still a teenager he tended to act somewhat like an adult. Excluding, of course, the pillow fight and the honey-sparkle-feather prank...

"So you're twenty-one? Are you a junior here?" He asked curiously, leaning back on the grass and watching as the rabbit mixed colours on his pallette. His left hand still held his water bottle, not really caring that grass and dirt was getting stuck to the bottom.

"Yes, I'm twenty-one and no, I'm not a junior. I took a year off after high school."

"Ah…" Goldie nodded in understanding. "I've never seen you before. And you're old enough to drink."

"You didn't see me before because I wasn't your roommate. And I'm not buying you alcohol."

Goldie laughed, shaking his head slightly. "Wasn't gonna ask. I don't exactly drink. It was just an observation."

The rabbit looked over at him suspiciously, but the small smile told him the rabbit was only teasing. Goldie grinned in response as Spring turned back to his painting, watching quietly as he brought the scene to life. It was almost interesting how the rabbit would slip a tease into his soft tones and expressions. It only made Goldie more curious, and Goldie had quickly learned that when it came to his roommate, his curiosity was unbearable.

No pun intended.

"Y'know, you didn't get to properly meet Freddy or the others," Goldie mused aloud, watching the artist.

"Well we were all busy yesterday and the first time I ever spoke to him was six o'clock this morning."

"Are you busy tomorrow night?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the right as he watched for the rabbit's reaction. Spring's ears twitched again and looked at him strangely, clearly amused.

"You really shouldn't start requests with that, you know."

It took Goldie a moment to realize what Spring meant and he snorted. "Y'know I don't mean it that way, ya dork," he said, rolling his eyes at the laughing bunny. "My friends and I are havin' a guy's night out. Foxy's somehow convinced Mike to come along, so I was wonderin' if you'd want to."

"I… don't get out much, really," the rabbit admitted quietly, fidgeting with his paintbrush. Goldie bit back the _I can tell_ comment on the tip of his tongue. "Besides, I don't really know you or your friends."

"Well I don't know Mike or Bonsai that well either. And we didn't know Chick all that well before comin' to college," Goldie told him, waving a hand dismissively at the suddenly-timid rabbit's excuse. "Besides, the others have expressed interest in actually meetin' ya. Y'know, as in, more than a "oh you just pranked my brother, hi, I'm goin' back to sleep" meetin'."

Spring snorted softly at that. "I dunno. I'm not very good with new people."

"Ya seemed to handle me pretty well."

"I was tired and wasn't completely aware of what I was doing until it was too late. Besides, I've been sleeping in the same room as you for a week now..."

"Point taken," Goldie chuckled, shrugging. "But still, just think about it?" He left the "please" to hang silently in the air between them but he still hoped the rabbit would agree.

The rabbit seemed to hesitate, glancing over his shoulder at Goldie. He was clearly torn between accepting out of politeness and declining out of anxiety. Goldie hoped one day the rabbit would accept or decline- either or, preferably the former- because that was what he _wanted_ to do, not because of what he thought the right answer was.

After a few more hesitant, silent seconds, Spring asked, "Where are you guys going?"

"Just out to eat to celebrate survivin' the first week, then to a movie," Goldie answered with a shrug and a grin. "Cat Meets Mouse."

Spring bit back a laugh. "Isn't that movie from the nineties? What's it doing in theaters again?"

"I dunno. Throwback Thursday?"

"On a Saturday?"

"I dunno. So?"

"I really feel like you shouldn't invite an outsider on you and your friends' trips."

"Oh come on, they won't mind. They're fine with Mike comin', and they actually _want_ to meet you."

"We'll see when it's later," the rabbit finally murmured, fidgeting before going back to his painting. "Don't know why you're springing this on me, really…"

Goldie grinned a bit, immediately catching the unintended pun. "I dunno, Spring, it seems like a fun idea to _spring_ these ideas on you. I mean, you didn't mind about the prank."

There were a few short, silent seconds before Spring turned to him, a mixture of confusion, amusement, and horror on his face. "Did you really…"

"Yes. Yes I did. But you did it first."

It took a few moments as the rabbit replayed his words in his head but then he slapped his palm to his forehead, causing Goldie to start laughing.

"I didn't mean to-"

"But ya did!"

"But I-"

"But. You. Did!"

"Oh jump in a lake!"

Had it been one of his brothers or even Bonnie or Foxy, Goldie probably would have tackled him into the pond. But this wasn't them, this was his roommate who he had barely started talking to and knew almost nothing about.

Well. Except that he hated his first name, his parents were Elaine and Edmund Franks, his brother was Dante Franks, he somehow knew Mr. Hugh and Mrs. Natalie, he loved art, he had a guitar, and he was apparently down for pranks. Oh, and he'd learned that day that he'd been in an accident ten years ago, was now twenty-one and he'd learned the origin of "Springtrap." But that was pretty much all he knew. He didn't know anything _truly_ personal- what his dreams were, his lifelong goals, his interests outside of art and possibly music, he didn't know his little quirks or how he acted when he was completely relaxed, his favourite foods, favourite genre of music, the games he liked, any of his opinions…

All of these thoughts took less than two seconds for Goldie's mind to process and it reminded him of something he'd been wanting to ask. He watched the golden rabbit thoughtfully for a few moments. "Hey, do you mind if I ask ya somethin'?" He asked. The rabbit raised a brow at him.

"And you haven't already been doing that?" Spring deadpanned. Goldie snorted.

"Well this is a weird question but it's somethin' I noticed yesterday when I was helpin' ya straighten your army of sketchbooks."

"What is it, then?" The rabbit looked cautiously curious, as though unsure whether or not he really wanted to hear it. He also seemed a bit… nervous, his hands fidgeting with the brush and his green eyes flitting to the side, not meeting Goldie's brown ones.

Goldie thought for one split second about asking about the guitar. Or the guitar case. But he didn't. "It looks like you've got a family photo on your nightstand, but I noticed Mrs. Natalie and my teacher Mr. Hugh are in it…?"

Spring blinked quizzically at him. "Oh, that's what you were wanting to ask about?" The bear nodded a confirmation, noting the rabbit relaxing slightly. "Well… of course they're there. Mr. Hugh was my dad's best friend growing up," the rabbit informed him, shrugging slightly.

"And Mrs. Natalie?"

"My dad's youngest sister."

"Wait- _you're_ Mr. Hugh's nephew?" Goldie straightened up a bit, his brow furrowed. "Do you have any cousins? Because he's often referenced his nephew as much as he's referenced his wife."

The rabbit blinked owlishly, then he shrugged. "I dunno. Hugh does have a brother and a sister of his own, but, ah… the rest of our families all cut contact with Hugh and Natalie after they announced they were getting married. You know… traditional rabbits-are-for-rabbits and wolves-are-for-wolves families... Mom and dad were the only ones who supported them and our family sort of limited contact with us too, even after the accident, so I never really met the rest of the Franks family," Spring admitted, his voice fading the more he spoke. Then he said louder, "Hugh could have easily been referencing my brother, but I doubt that. My brother was twelve the last time any of us saw him…" His voice trailed off again and Goldie had a feeling he was treading into dangerous gonna-shut-you-out-so-please-shut-up territory.

He chose to divert back to the picture. "Well… I noticed that the picture is ripped, but I'm sure you noti-"

"That's deliberate."

The voice was harsh and clipped, short, and it was filled with so much anger, resentment, and… hatred? Goldie felt himself almost freeze up, staring in shock at the rabbit whose back was now completely to him, tense and rigid, hand clutching his paintbrush almost too hard. It was similar to the voice he'd heard in Hugh's classroom after Hugh had called him Durrell. It was almost chilling, seeing- and hearing- the rabbit's sudden change. It almost scared him.

Apparently his roommate quickly realized how he sounded, his ears flopping down in a sign of instant regret. He said in a much gentler tone, "Sorry, I really don't like talking or even thinking about that..."

"Ah… that's fine, I won't ask again," the bear assured him as gently as he could manage, watching him fidget with the paintbrush again. His mind raced, looking for something to say or do to relax or calm the nervous rabbit. A glance at the time gave him an idea. "Hey, you should take a break so we can go get some lunch, you've been out here since, what, seven?"

"Ish," the rabbit mumbled, glancing over at Goldie. His ears were still down. Goldie figured if he stayed away from the subject of the picture entirely the rabbit might bounce back.

No pun intended again.

Goldie grinned and hopped up. "Well, then, come on." Spring's expression morphed into confusion, as though he couldn't fathom what the hell Goldie was saying. "It's past lunch time, bunny, let's go eat."

"Uh… Bunny?" Spring raised a brow at him. Goldie shrugged in response. "You know if you're hungry you can just… go?"

"Well maybe I want to go eat _with_ ya. Eatin' alone is borin'."

"You have probably the largest group of close friends I've ever seen," the rabbit pointed out, and as if the emphasize Spring's words Goldie's phone let out a little _ping_ as yet another message came through. Goldie ignored it for the moment; if it was important, they would have called.

"Please?" He tried, putting on the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster. He knew he wasn't as good at it as Bonnie, Chica or even Alfred, but he would damn well try. Spring looked torn between laughing, sighing, and just jumping in the pond (okay maybe not the last one, but he did look _almost_ exasperated).

"Fine," the rabbit agreed with a soft sigh after a few moments, setting his paintbrush down.

"Awesome!" Goldie grinned, finally pulling his phone out to see he had six missed calls (how he didn't know, he had sound _on_ ) and four texts- one from Alfred, Freddy, Bonnie, and the latest was Foxy. He chose to look at the text from Foxy, being the most recent.

' _Al wants 2 go 2 Redfinger's so we stole ur keys. Sry u dint anser ur phone_ '

Goldie blinked at the text. "So, uh, my brothers and friends stole my keys and are takin' my car to Redfinger's, apparently," the bear said to the rabbit who snorted at the news. "So, uh, cafeteria or cafe?"

"You _are_ aware that I have a car, too, right?" Spring asked, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "I mean, you've only seen me walk out the door with my keys to go drive to a store."

"Hey, I wasn't sure how ya felt about people bein' in your car," Goldie defended himself immediately, not wanting to admit that it may have slipped his mind. Or that he was never comfortable being a passenger in someone else's car...

"I don't care as long as you don't leave any trash in it."

Goldie laughed a bit and got up to help Spring with the easel so the rabbit could carry his canvas back inside, safe from wind and any dust that might blow on by... or any rain that might start pouring. The easel was not very light but it wasn't really heavy, either. He was glad about that. It wasn't too far from the studio, either, from the side entrance Spring led him through.

He watched the rabbit take his brushes to a sink and begin washing them as he himself sat the easel down in its place by the window. Part of him remembered something about paint solidifying and ruining brushes but he didn't remember the details, he never actually _painted_. He would have offered to help but really, what did he know about washing paintbrushes? So instead he waited for the rabbit to finish and towel-dry his hands as best he could and then the duo headed out across the bridge.

"Why _is_ the art building over here, anyway?" Goldie asked suddenly while they were in the middle of the bridge, glancing down at the boards under their feet. "It seems like a safety hazard to me."

Spring shrugged. "More artistic?" He suggested jokingly, though there was a tinge of uncertainty to it. "No but really, I have no clue." Goldie snorted and glanced at the rabbit.

"No secret relatives in the school board, right?" He teased, causing Spring to roll his eyes.

"None that I know of."

Ahead of them some brightly-dressed laughing students were crossing the bridge as well, and Goldie saw them wave slightly to Spring with a "Hey Springtrap!" Spring waved back with a polite smile but didn't respond much more than that. It hadn't really occurred to Goldie that the other art students would already know Spring, though clearly Spring didn't consider any of them friends if his lack of a verbal answer was anything to go by.

One of the girls in the group, a red panda, paused as she walked by them and smiled at the golden duo. "Hey Springtrap, can I talk to you about one of our projects later? I really need help, Mrs. Natalie didn't approve any of my sketches." Spring stopped, blinking owlishly before smiling sheepishly and fidgeting with his hands.

"Um, I suppose…?"

Goldie almost wanted to laugh at the awkward interaction. He'd have almost thought it was awkward because of the girl, but he had quickly realized awkward was what Spring was with any initial social interaction; he was acting the same way he had acted with Goldie pre-prank. He supposed Spring didn't talk to this girl often.

The girl smiled brightly at him. "Thanks! Seeya later!" She called, hurrying to catch up with her friends, grabbing onto one of her comrades arms to continue talking.

"Well that was weird," Goldie chuckled, watching the red panda go. He looked back at Spring.

"Artists usually are," Spring shrugged sheepishly and Goldie couldn't agree more. The two continued walking. "By the way, where are we even going? You didn't exactly say."

"Ehhh I dunno."

"Informative."

"You're welcome."

Spring rolled his eyes and Goldie grinned, stuffing his hands into his pockets. They walked for a bit in silence, heading back to their dorm. Goldie supposed it was so the rabbit could grab his keys since both of them were already dressed to go outside- they already _were_ outside, after all. They went up to their room and Goldie waited in the common room for him. He sat down on the couch and gazed around the room, taking in the familiar and unfamiliar sights.

The television still had that gouge in it. Goldie hadn't realized he and Alfred had not told the other two its origin; he'd need to rectify that. On the wall to the right of the television, though, there was a large brown board hung up with a few drawings tacked to it. It didn't look like Spring's style (though, honestly, Goldie couldn't rightly say what Spring's "style" was; he'd only seen a few of his works) so Goldie assumed it was Marion's. They were sketchy with a few clear, heavy lines showing the objects. They were really good but he decided pretty quickly that he preferred Spring's.

It was curious. He had never paid all that much attention to the board; all he had ever registered before was that it wasn't there one day and was the next. He didn't get to ponder it too long, though, as Spring reappeared with his keys in hand.

"Have you figured out where we're going?" Spring asked, fidgeting with his keys, and Goldie grinned and shook his head. Spring sighed softly. "Is this how things always are with you?"

"I'm never the one who picks where to go," Goldie informed him, standing up again. "Freddy forbade me from pickin' after I accidentally landed us in a bar."

Spring stared at him for a few shocked seconds before he began laughing again- more like a small chuckling sound, but a laugh nonetheless. "How did you even manage that?"

"No one knows," Goldie answered in a mock-somber, serious voice. "But yeah, so now I'm not allowed to choose destinations."

"Well then, I know where to go," Spring decided with a small, soft smirk, lightly twirling the keys with his index finger. Goldie snorted. It was kind of funny, seeing the rabbit like that. As if he could ever successfully pull off the cocky look.

"Lead the way," he mocked, gesturing towards the door. Spring rolled his eyes again but headed out. Goldie paused and pulled his phone out, sending a quick text back to Foxy. _'Thats fine Im hangin out with Spring anyway. Idek where we goin tho.'_

With that he pocketed his phone and followed the rabbit out of the building and towards the southern parking lot.

Getting along with the rabbit was a lot easier than he thought it'd be, even with the little mysteries.


	11. Arc IV, Part II

**Arc IV, Part II**

 **Milkshakes and Memories**

Goldie wasn't surprised at all when he saw Spring owned an old car- a silver-grey Chevy from the 80's, if Goldie had to guess (he wasn't sure, he wasn't that good with cars). Pretty much everything the rabbit owned was old after all. It was clearly well taken care of, probably well-loved just like everything else the rabbit owned.

The bear passed behind it to go to the passenger side, glancing at the tag curiously. _Harper_ , the tag read. He raised a brow at that. "Harper?" He questioned, looking up at Spring. "That's across the state's southwest border."

"Your point?" Spring looked up at him as he unlocked the car's doors. "I live in Harper."

"That's four hours away. Out of state."

"Your point?" he repeated.

Goldie really didn't want to flat-out say it. He didn't want to risk offending this near-stranger, but the rabbit didn't seem to really understand what he was saying. "Um… well, in-state tuition is already off the charts, out of state…"

After a few moments Spring sighed softly, understanding where the bear was going with that question. "My parents went to this school, they started a college fund for my brother and I pretty much immediately after we were born," he explained, opening his door to slip in. Goldie followed suit, taking a cursory glance on this inside of the vehicle. There was no torn upholstery or damaged panels; a little wear here and there, as one would expect, but otherwise the car looked surprisingly new though the style definitely screamed "80's." He was sure of that now.

"So you chose to go to this school because your parents came here?" He asked as he buckled his seatbelt, turning his attention to the rabbit to continue their conversation.

Spring seemed to hesitate as he fastened his own belt into place, the key already in the ignition but not turned. "I came to this school because I wanted to, but I also came here because of my parents," he finally answered, turning the key in the ignition. The car offered no resistance.

Goldie had a feeling the rabbit's parents had been important to him. Curiously, as the rabbit put the car in reverse and backed out, he asked, "What program were your parents in? Art, too?"

"No. They were in music. Ma played the piano and dad played the guitar... and wrote music," Spring informed him, keeping his eyes on the college's access road in front of him. "Actually, they met here..."

"Your parents are musicians?" He didn't know whether or not he should be surprised, remembering they had probably been the ones to gift him the guitar. There were a few moments of silence as the rabbit pulled out onto the main road.

Goldie shifted slightly in his seat; he never liked being a passenger in someone else's car. It always unnerved him to know someone else's mistake could cost him his life. There was a reason he never let his brothers drive when he was in the car… His eyes scanned the road ahead of them, feeling nervous as he watched other cars pass. The rabbit regained his attention, though, when he finally answered Goldie's question.

"Yeah. They were. Music was important to them."

It was a simple answer but it sounded so fond, so… well, longing, like he was thinking about better times he wished he could return to. _He clearly had a good relationship with his parents.._.

His tone _almost_ made the golden bear miss the use of past tense.

He chose not to ask.

"What about you, then? How'd you get into drawin'?" He asked instead. The rabbit glanced at him just a moment before his eyes were right back on the road.

"Natalie went for studio art instead of music and she introduced me to it," he answered after a few moments of thinking, clearly hesitant and voice nearly inaudible. "I gave music up years ago and she thought I needed a way to express myself, so… yeah."

Goldie's thoughts immediately went to the rabbit's guitar and how well cared for it was, how its strings were brand new and how no dust at all lay on its surface. He thought about how the rabbit brought it four hours away from home to school where he would hardly, if ever, use it. _No, you haven't given it up_ , he said silently to himself, glancing over at the golden rabbit.

"You never give up music," he said instead, shrugging. "Music is alive. It evolves and changes with people, it speaks to everyone on an individual level. The ultimate form of expression. You never give up music."

He had a feeling that the rabbit didn't appreciate his words; the rabbit's ears had flattened. Not in the way they did when he was upset, tired, regretful or apologetic. No, Goldie couldn't tell _what_ this was.

"Everyone is different." There was an edge to the rabbit's voice, but Goldie could hear the difference from before; it wasn't angry, upset or hostile. It wasn't an "I don't want to talk about this" edge. It was a "you don't understand my side" edge. It was a "you have no right to understand my side" edge. It was an edge that reminded Goldie that he and the rabbit's relationship was tentative at best, that they weren't really quite friends, that they still didn't know or trust each other. That that was something one prank and a couple of hours together would not magically make happen. That it was something they were still working on and personal matters were not something you go into with "working on it" almost-friends.

He decided to listen to the voice of reason rather than his stubborn curiosity; he wasn't even supposed to know about the guitar, after all.

"I suppose," he gave, shrugging noncommittally and watching as downtown came into view. He decided to change the subject. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"It's just a cafe," Spring told him, his voice losing its edge. "I went there a lot when I didn't want to be in the dorm last year…"

"Ooh, so they know you," Goldie instinctively went for the tease, happy when he got a small laugh from the golden rabbit. (It made him feel even better when Spring only glanced at him for a split second, eyes back on the road before Goldie could really register he'd even looked away. It felt safer knowing the rabbit was focused on driving.)

"They recognize me, yeah…"

Goldie grinned a bit. "Awesome." Spring sighed softly, almost dramatically and Goldie's grin widened. He turned his attention back out the window as they passed the old buildings, watching the people on the sidewalks go about their business. Neither of them spoke but it wasn't an awkward silence at all. He couldn't say it was comfortable like when he was watching the rabbit sketch earlier, but it wasn't awkward either. He hummed softly to himself, ear barely twitching as he heard the turn signal go on.

The bear recognized where they were, of course. They were about to turn onto the road next to the river. He grinned slightly; he knew _exactly_ where they were going now. It wasn't the most popular cafe in Preston but he had been to it with his youngest brother before and they had the best damn milkshakes you could get in town. When they went to the park, it was their go-to place for ice cream or, in winter, hot chocolate.

 _Strange, I never saw Spring there before,_ he mused, doing his best to resist the urge to grab on to the arm rest with all his might as the rabbit pulled into a parking spot. He still hadn't trimmed his nails and he was sure Spring would not appreciate having clawmarks in his car. Being downtown, the parking spot just _had_ to be parallel- parallel parking unnerved him even when he drove himself.

They were a few stores down from the cafe but walking never hurt anyone- _Well okay people have died from walking down a street but hey_. The golden rabbit turned the key, shutting the vehicle off, and unlocked the doors. Goldie unbuckled his seatbelt and slipped out, breathing a small sigh of relief as he closed the door. His roommate waited until the street was clear before getting out of the car and walking around the hood to get on the brick sidewalk.

"Have you guessed, yet?" Spring asked with a raised brow as they began walking.

"It's O'Malley's Little Pleasures, ain't it?" Goldie guessed with a grin, looking at the rabbit.

"Wow, I didn't think you would know about it," Spring admitted with a small laugh as they approached the small cafe. "It's not the most well-known place."

"I know, but my brother and I stumbled on it last September," Goldie stated with a shrug. "It was still warm out so we decided to try their milkshakes. Still haven't found anywhere that beats 'em." The golden bear stepped ahead to grab the door before Spring could, opening it and waiting for the rabbit to enter first with a mocking little flourish. Spring rolled his eyes and stepped through, waiting for Goldie to join him.

"It helps that their ice cream is home-made… on the premises, but still, it's real," Spring finally said now that the door was shut behind them. Goldie laughed a bit at and glanced around the cafe.

There were a few tables spread out, including two by the large front window display to the left, and some shelves to the side containing a few tourist-y items. On the far wall there was a painting of a sunny field and a miniature train chugged along on a track hanging from the ceiling all the way around the cafe. The counter was a peaceful green and blue and a colourful lizard stood, leaning against it, behind the cash register.

The lizard, upon spotting the rabbit and bear, grinned. "Heeeeyyyyy, what's up, Sunny Dee?"

Goldie tried to muffle a laugh as the rabbit's face went red. He had a feeling he knew now who introduced this place to Spring.

"Please don't call me that, Larry," Spring requested as they approached the counter.

Larry laughed and straightened up. "Right, sorry Springtrap, I couldn't resist. Not used to seeing you here with new friends."

Spring's ear twitched and he gave a small smile at Larry. Goldie knew what he was thinking; they weren't exactly _friends_ yet. Neither of them voiced this, though.

"So is it gonna be the usual, then, Sprintrap?" Larry asked, raising a brow as Spring shook his head. Goldie leaned slightly away to avoid getting a face full of fluffy bunny ear. "What, no caram-"

"No, we're actually here for food," Spring quickly interrupted. "... and maybe milkshakes," he added almost inaudibly, face flushing as Larry gave him a knowing grin. Goldie was very curious about this.

"Ah, I knew you couldn't resist the lure of the sugar," Larry laughed. "What can I get you yella' folks?"

"We're gold," Goldie muttered but Spring and Larry both ignored his correction. With a small, long-suffering sigh Goldie looked at the menu hanging above, letting Spring order his own food first since the rabbit seemed to already know what was on the menu.

Eventually, Goldie decided on a burger with fries and a strawberry milkshake. Typical thing but nothing else particularly interested him at the time.

Before he could protest, Spring had pulled his wallet out and handed over his card. Goldie _wanted_ to protest- Goldie was from a very affluent family, he didn't need someone else to pay for him- but the rabbit seemed to know he was going to, turning to him just as he was opening his mouth and silencing him with a surprisingly stern look.

Apparently Spring _could_ put his foot down. Goldie held his hands up in surrender, closing his mouth to show he wouldn't say anything. Satisfied, Spring turned his attention back to Larry and took his card back with a polite but distant smile. Then Goldie followed the rabbit to a table to sit and wait.

"Ya know ya didn't need to pay for me, right?" Goldie asked as he sat down, raising a brow at Spring.

"Same goes for you," Spring scoffed, laying his arms on the table and very lightly tapping a finger against it. Goldie could just barely hear the rabbit's own claws _click click_ ing against the polished wood; clearly _his_ claws were properly trimmed. Then again, Goldie knew from Bonnie that rabbits had to keep theirs trimmed or else they'd grow and become painfully impossible to manage… "Are you even listening?"

Goldie's attention snapped back to the rabbit's face. It took him a moment or two of looking at the rabbit's small smirk to realize the rabbit had noticed his distraction and taken advantage of it. "He- ya weren't even talkin'," Goldie accused with a pout, watching the rabbit laugh.

"No, I wasn't," the rabbit agreed with a small smile, stilling his fingers. The rabbit didn't seem to notice, so Goldie concluded that it was a nervous tic when he was holding nothing in his hands. It then occurred to Goldie that he had never really seen the rabbit without something at hand. _Huh. Weird._ "I just wanted to see how you'd react."

"Gee, thanks," Goldie drawled, dropping his hand on the table. "I appreciate it, truly."

Spring tried to resist the urge to laugh but wasn't very successful. Goldie grinned triumphantly as the rabbit tried to cover his grin, shoulders shaking slightly in his attempt to hold in his laughter.

"Springtrap," Larry called, getting the duo's attention. Goldie stuck his tongue out at Spring and leapt out of his seat to grab the tray before Spring could even react. When he returned and triumphantly set the tray down on the table Spring rolled his bright green eyes at him and Goldie laughed.

Retaking his seat, Goldie took his strawberry milkshake and his own food, starting with his fries of course. He glanced curiously at what the rabbit had gotten. "Ya got a salad?" He questioned the rabbit, blinking owlishly at the leafy greens. He could also see shredded carrots, red and green grapes, what looked like blueberries, and some shredded cheese in there as well.

"And fries," Spring added flatly, gesturing to his own plate of fries at the side. Well at least Goldie knew it wasn't for health reasons. "I'm a rabbit, you know, I actually _like_ fruits and vegetables." Goldie snorted softly at that.

"Sorry, Bonnie never gets salads so it threw me off a bit," Goldie told him with a shrug, picking up a fry.

"Well I'm not Bonnie," Spring pointed out before popping a fry into his mouth. He waited until it was swallowed before speaking again. _Manners, too, Freddy would approve._ "But I bet Bonnie doesn't eat meat either."

"Well, he's a rabbit, rabbit's aren't built for meat."

"Exactly. So we're on the same page. I just happen to like salads."

"Okay, okay," Goldie laughed a bit, surrendering the "battle." Spring gave him a smile and the two continued eating their lunch. It was after only a minute or so of comfortable silence that Spring began tapping his finger against the table again. It wasn't rapid and it wasn't loud, but Goldie was able to hear it clearly. It continued.

"Why do ya do that?" He asked suddenly after another minute or two, setting his milkshake down. Spring furrowed his brow, looking confused, so he added in explanation, "Tap your finger like that. It's not annoyin' or anythin' like that but why do ya do it?"

The rabbit blinked and glanced down at his hand, stilling it again. "I didn't notice I was doing it," he admitted quietly, turning his gaze back to Goldie. "Only reason I noticed earlier was because you were staring at my hand like a creep."

Goldie snorted. "Sorry, I was try'na figure it out," he apologized. "So I guess it really is a nervous tic."

Spring shrugged a bit and picked up his own milkshake. It was mint and chocolate chip, Goldie quickly identified the pale green colour. He hadn't noticed it before; he'd been so focused on the salad that he had failed to realize that the milkshake he'd gotten wasn't a typical chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. "I guess. I dunno."

"Ah well," Goldie grinned with a shrug of his own. In his pocket his phone buzzed, so quickly wiping the grease off of his hands, he pulled his phone out to look at the text from Alfred. It was a picture of Freddy with Foxy in a headlock, Freddy's hat missing and in its place an overturned plate of… spaghetti? Goldie snorted, noting the strands of noodles hanging down in his middle brother's face and the sauce dripping down onto his pristine suit. Next to Freddy Bonnie was literally falling out of his chair, his laughter in the middle of transitioning into realization and panic. _Perfect moment to capture a picture, Al!_ "Hey Spring, look at this," he said, turning the phone around to show the rabbit. Spring looked at the picture and snickered, shaking his head slightly.

"Looks like you missed quite a moment," Spring chuckled. "You should'a answered your phone when they called."

"It didn't ring," Goldie pointed out. "Besides, if I went with 'em I wouldn't be here and learnin', _Sunny Dee._ " The words had the desired effect, causing the rabbit's face to flush again, choking momentarily on his fry. Goldie laughed, grinning. "By the way, what's with that nickname? Sounds like orange juice."

"Where do you think my uncle got it from?" Spring asked with a deep sigh, rubbing his right hand- the one that hadn't touched any of his food- across his face. "He's called me that since, well, as long as I can remember actually. He never tells me the origin story. My fur does _not_ look like orange juice."

Goldie snorted. "Yeah, you're gold, not orange."

"Thank you for the obvious."

"You're welcome."

The golden roommates snickered quietly together- a lot like children, Goldie mused- before continuing their meals. Goldie decided, though, that he should reply to the picture with a picture of his own. He brought up his phone's camera and snapped a picture of Spring, who looked at the camera quizzically as he sipped his milkshake. "Are you taking a picture of me?" He asked suspiciously.

"Hey, picture text deserves a picture response," Goldie stated with a smug grin. "Hope ya don't mind."

"That looked _really_ creepy."

"Hey, it does not!"

Spring laughed and shook his head at the slightly indignant response. "I'm just messing, I don't really care. Just… delete it..." The last part was said so quietly the bear almost missed it. He tilted his head slightly, curious; he'd thought the rabbit was fine with his appearance. Apparently the rabbit seemed to understand the motion as his finger began tapping again and he glanced aside, his ears twitching downwards. "Pictures make me feel weird," he admitted. "I just feel… awkward with them."

Goldie shrugged slightly. "Hey, if that's what ya want, not like I'm gonna be an ass about it." He didn't exactly _need_ a picture of his roommate, anyway; he literally lived with the guy. The rabbit seemed to relax and gave him a sheepish, nervous smile, his hand stilling again.

Goldie decided not to remind him that it would still be in his texts, though.

After deleting the picture like he said he would, he slid his phone back into his pocket and continued eating his food. Soon enough it was just his milkshake left, so he sat sipping that while Spring finished his salad. It didn't take too long and the two tossed out their trash before heading outside, milkshakes still in hand.

"You already got your studio hours today, right?" Goldie suddenly asked, getting Spring's attention. The rabbit raised a curious brow at him, signalling him to explain. "Mr. Hugh told us that the art students have to get, what… an hour every day on the weekend?"

The rabbit snorted, though it was more in disbelief than humour. "Two hours every day, actually- minimum of six every weekend. And yeah, I already got my hours in today. Before you woke up."

"Awesome," Goldie grinned, "then let's go to the park. We'll probably end up meetin' up with Freddy and Al and the others after they finish at Redfinger's." Spring shrugged slightly to show he had no complaints. Goldie had a feeling he didn't really want the open milkshake containers in his car anyway. He grinned and changed direction towards the park along the river bank, Spring following. Despite walking over to a red light, a brief glance both ways was given before the golden duo crossed the road; it wasn't busy, as tourist season was fading away, but it wasn't clear enough to throw caution to the wind.

Okay, it was _never_ clear enough to throw caution to the wind, but still.

The two located a bench close to the water to sit on and finish their milkshakes, Goldie just watching the people passing by on the sidewalk. Spring gazed out over the river and to the other bank, his right ear twitching slightly. His twitching ear got Goldie's attention.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" Goldie asked, following the rabbit's gaze across the water towards the cozy riverside homes.

"Hugh and Natalie's house is over there," Spring answered simply with a shrug. "They don't live on campus."

"I didn't know Mr. Hugh lived in Preston…"

"They have for… I think… sixteen, seventeen years now? I don't know, they've lived here as long as I can remember…" There went that phrase again; now it was beginning to tickle at Goldie's mind. _As long as I can remember._ "They visited us in Harper on vacations and sometimes we visited them," Spring told him, glancing over at him. "I remember sitting out on the banks with Natalie while she'd paint and chasing my brother around… I also remember when dad accidentally knocked Hugh into the river," he added with a small laugh. Goldie snorted slightly, imagining his teacher flailing as a rabbit nearly a foot shorter than him rammed into him. Spring was smiling softly at the memory; apparently it had been a good day.

"Sounds like y'all had some good times there," Goldie said to him, his eyes on the far river bank. "I'm surprised y'all didn't stay."

Spring was silent for several moments, his soft, fond smile turning melancholic. "No. It was a lot less fun when I actually started living there."

The bear blinked and looked at the rabbit, but the rabbit's gaze had moved away from the homes. Goldie knew that his roommate would probably answer his question if he asked, but he also knew that if he did he could cause Spring to close in on himself. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the water, watching a duck ride by on the current. _So he lived with Mr. Hugh and his wife… I guess that was after his parents died._ Because everything hinted towards Spring's parents being deceased; the use of past tense, Spring's hesitance to talk about them and his sadness when he did, him going to live with Mr. Hugh and Mrs. Natalie...

He let the silence continue on.


	12. Arc IV, Part III

**Arc IV, Part III**

 **Signs**

The silence between them was broken when a familiar voice shouted, "Freddy, calm down, it was just spaghetti!"

The golden-furred creatures jerked to attention as the voice sounded from _very_ close. They turned around to watch a fox dash by behind them, away from a dark brown bear whose clothes were stained with red spaghetti sauce. Goldie grinned. "Looks like my peeps are here right in time~!" He sang, standing up and happy to be away from the heavy topic. Spring seemed equally relieved… and embarrassed. He sighed and hid his eyes behind his hand.

"Oh god don't call them peeps, please…"

"Aww, why not?"

"It's weird."

"You think everythin' is weird."

"And when it comes to you, I have not been proven wrong yet."

"Hey!"

Spring laughed, giving a small grin as the bear pouted childishly, and stood up as well, tossing his empty cup into the trashcan nearby. Goldie followed suit and then turned to look at his approaching friends.

He immediately laughed at the bruise just barely showing through Bonnie's fur on his right arm. "Couldn't catch yourself, huh? Did'ja hit a table?"

Bonnie made a face and stuck his tongue out before turning to Spring. "Sorry you got stuck with the moron," he drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "He didn't answer his phone but none of us expected him to drag you along."

Spring blinked in surprise, as though he hadn't expected to be addressed by Goldie's friends. Well, Goldie supposed he hadn't. "Uh? Um, it's fine?" The golden rabbit offered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. Goldie snorted while Bonnie grinned at the timid display.

"Not used to talking to people, huh? Could'a fooled me this morning, all that laughin' you were doing."

The golden rabbit's face immediately went red at the reminder of the prank and Alfred began grumbling from beside Bonnie. The purple rabbit laughed and nudged Alfred while Bonsai, Vixy, Chick, and Chica looked confused.

"It's a long story," Spring muttered upon noticing the confusion. Goldie grinned.

"But we don't even have to tell it, we can show it instead."

"Goldie, don't you fucking dare," Alfred growled, startling Spring, Bonsai, and Mike- none of which knew the youngest Fazbear well enough to hear him slip out of his semi-gentlemanly attitude. Goldie, however, just smiled deviously, used to this side of his youngest triplet.

"Aw, Al, why not? I mean, it's only the perfect way to explain!"

"Maybe you shouldn't agitate him…" Spring muttered to Goldie, glancing nervously at Alfred who did not seem happy at all, glaring at the eldest triplet. Goldie found it almost amusing that Spring was nervous about his brother.

Almost.

Instead he shrugged and changed the subject. "So is it alright if I drag Spring along tomorrow night?" He asked as the chicken sisters went to help Freddy subdue the fox. Spring shot the bear a look that went ignored.

"Sure, why not?" Bonnie shrugged with a grin. "The more the merrier."

"It's a free world," Bonsai added, letting his gaze trail boredly towards the river.

"Let me guess, Goldie randomly asked you without any warning, right?" Alfred deadpanned.

"Pretty much…" Spring mumbled glancing at the ground. "And I hadn't even said yes," he added, shooting a small glare at Goldie. Goldie grinned and waved in return. Bonnie snorted.

"Sounds like Goldie," he commented, giving Goldie a look that was all too easy for the bear to read. He was smirking, but one of his brows was raised slightly as though asking a question. _What changed your mind?_

Goldie shrugged and grinned; another action with a double meaning. Accepting Bonnie's statement and answering his question. _Something._

Oblivious to the silent conversation going on in front of him, Spring's gaze turned to Freddy as he approached, dragging Foxy in a headlock. The fox was shorter than the bear so the headlock looked more like the bear had his arm over the fox's shoulder, but it was still very clearly a headlock from the way his arm wrapped around Foxy's neck. Foxy was laughing and struggling against his stronger friend who wore a satisfied smirk before shoving the fox back over to Mike and Bonnie. "I believe this belongs to you, now," he directed at Mike.

"Eh?" Foxy snickered, leaning casually against the human's shoulder. "I'm not a pet, Freddy," he cackled, glancing down at Mike. "Besides, Mikey can't own me- I'm too wily for 'im!"

Goldie snorted at that as Mike rolled his eyes. "Mike's creative," he said simply. "Sorry, Mike, you're the one stuck roomin' with him."

Mike made a series of gestures with his hands. Goldie stared blankly at him; he assumed it was sign language, since Mike didn't have a notebook in hand, but he wasn't sure. The dark-haired human rolled his eyes skywards and shrugged in a way that suggested that was the expected reaction.

The golden rabbit standing next to Goldie raised a brow and smiled slightly but he said nothing. Goldie found that strange but chose not to question it. Instead he asked, "Mike, where's your notebook?"

Mike gave him the flattest, most unimpressed look his bright blue eyes could muster and jabbed his thumb towards Foxy. The red fox, noticing this, grinned sheepishly. "Ah, I, um, spilled my drink on it."

"Oh Foxy," Goldie snickered, shaking his head. "Now why'd'ja go and do that?"

"It was an accident, I tells ya!" The fox immediately defended, his grin only growing wider as he spoke.

"That's what they all say!"

"Are ye 'ccusin' ol' Cap'n Foxy o' sabotagin' 'is firs' mate, laddie?"

At that the Fazbears and Bonnie burst into laughter while Mike rolled his eyes. Bonsai snickered and moved slightly away from Foxy right in time for the fox to dramatically sweep his human roommate up and toss him over his shoulder.

"Nay, if'n this be 'ow ye landlubbers be, Mikey 'n I will jus' go find port somewhere else!" He declared as he turned around and started walking off, Mike laughing silently and lightly hitting his back.

"Don't worry, Mike, we'll save you!" Alfred shouted, pointing overdramatically at the sky, before charging after the fox, Bonnie and Bonsai quickly following suit. Vixy let out a small cry and chased after them as well to run interference for her brother, leaving the chicken sisters and the two elder Fazbears alone to watch Foxy "kidnap" Mike and "fight off" his enemies.

It took Goldie a few more moments to realize that Spring had disappeared. He furrowed his brow and glanced around. "Hey, where'd Spring go?" He asked his three remaining friends. Chica and Chick shrugged but Freddy answered.

"He said he was gonna grab somethin' outta his car," Freddy informed him. "Ya would'a heard him if ya had, y'know, been listenin' and not arguin'."

"Huh," Goldie frowned, wondering what the rabbit might have needed to grab. He didn't wait long; he heard light footsteps against the brick path. The golden bear looked over as Spring returned, sketchbook in hand. _Oh._ "What- ya still got some of those in your car, too?" He laughed, shaking his head in bewilderment.

"I ran out of places in the room," was the simple response he got as the rabbit stopped beside him, watching as the fox siblings ran away with Mike in the brother's arms now, Bonsai, Bonnie and Alfred on their tails. "I think I missed something here."

"Foxy kidnapped Mike," Chick put in helpfully, giggling.

"Very pirate thing to do," Chica added, glancing at her sister with her hands on her hips, her beak turned up in a grin. "Bonnie, Alfred, and Bonsai are on a mission to rescue Mike from Captain Foxy and his sister the dread pirate Felicia."

"Felicia?"

"That's Vixy's real name," Goldie explained with a grin. "Felicia Fox. When Foxy started goin' by Foxy, she decided to start goin' by Vixy. Y'know, as in vixen- female fox?" Spring looked flatly at him, clearly unimpressed. "Uh… sorry."

Spring snorted, turning his attention back to the "save Mike" scene. "I'm starting to notice a lot of you have nicknames."

"Eh," Goldie shrugged nonchalantly. "You're one to talk. And I think Alfred and Freddy are the only ones of us who don't have nicknames..."

"Oh!" Chica suddenly gasped, turning to look at Spring; apparently she _just_ realized they had never actually met him before. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm Chiquita, Chiquita Vogel, but everyone just calls me Chica," she introduced with a bright smile. "And this is my sister, Cheyenne Avian. We call her-"

"Chick," Chick interrupted with a laugh. "Chica, calm down, you're getting excited."

"Well I forgot my manners, Chick!"

"Um, it's nice to meet you both?" Spring offered nervously, glancing at Goldie. He looked confused and surprised, having not expected the attention. Goldie grinned, amused.

"You're Goldie's roommate, right? He's mentioned you before." Spring looked back at Chica, his ears twitching in confusion. Goldie couldn't see his face but he could imagine his brow furrowing, indicating he had no idea about this. The golden bear quickly fanned his hand horizontally in front of his neck, trying to tell his friend to _shut up shut up shut up please._ She seemed to get the hint. "He mentioned your name was Springtrap?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Spring nodded slightly. "Well- kind of. I'm, uh, Durrell Franks, but everyone calls me Springtrap..."

"Except me, I call him Spring," Goldie interrupted with a grin. He really didn't want his friends calling the rabbit Springtrap.

"Aww, Spring is such a cute name!" Chica giggled with her sister. Spring looked at Goldie with a _what the hell_ expression; he was clearly lost and had no idea how to respond. The way his face lit up red indicated this was also very embarrassing for him. "Where'd the name Springtrap come from anyway?"

Spring looked back at the girls. "Uh… My middle name," he answered simply, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Goldie noticed he left out the fact that it was originally a demeaning nickname. "Spring…"

"Spring's your middle name? That's adorable!"

Goldie turned to Freddy with an amused grin. He caught sight of the fond smile before his middle brother could hide it. He chose not to comment on it. "I think Chica and Chick are gonna break my roommate," he said instead, glancing back at the flustered and awkward rabbit. "Think we should-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt someone ram into him from behind. He yelped as he staggered into Freddy, who managed to catch the golden bear with an amused smirk on his face. "Watch your step, Goldie," he chuckled.

"You ass, ya saw him comin'!" Goldie accused, looking over his shoulder at Foxy grinning deviously at him. Foxy was now Mikeless, having been captured and the human "saved" while Goldie had been watching the chicken sisters embarrass his roommate.

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Asshole!"

The others laughed as Foxy and Freddy helped Goldie regain his balance. "Your fault for not bein' aware of your surroundings," Foxy claimed, grinning at Alfred, Bonnie and Bonsai as they walked over with Mike and Vixy.

"Foxy, you're too damn energetic for your own good," Bonnie laughed, shaking his head at the quick fox. "Really, still runnin' around aft- huh, what is it, Chica?" He turned his attention to his girlfriend who looked a bit upset, her arms crossed and brows drawn together.

"Guys! Be polite and introduce yourselves!" Chica commanded, dropping her arms and putting her feathery hands on her hips. "Didn't any of you notice Goldie brought a friend?"

Spring's ear twitched and Goldie immediately thought, yet again, about how they weren't _really_ friends, not _yet_ anyway, but neither of them corrected the chicken. Goldie liked to think he had made enough progress to start casually calling the rabbit friend, anyway.

"Huh?" Bonnie looked at Spring, grinning slightly. "But we've met him."

"When?"

"Um, this morning. Granted it was like for five minutes and we didn't exactly talk but still..."

"Well, I met him the first day of classes," Alfred stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms with a smirk. "So I beat all y'all, even Goldie."

"Oh shut up, Alfred," Goldie huffed. "I know him better than you do so there."

"Oh as if ya know much anyway, ya only just started talkin' to him-"

"Boys! Introduce yourselves," Chica repeated, glaring at the boys and they all quieted down immediately. Chica could be scary when she wanted to be, so they decided to simply do as told.

"Alright, alright," Bonnie chuckled, turning to Spring and sticking his hand out. "I'm Boone Hare, but please call me Bonnie." Spring, seeming unsure and, if you asked Goldie, overwhelmed, hesitantly shook the rabbit's hand. "And this is my brother, Bonsai," he added, gesturing to Bonsai.

Bonsai grinned and gave a wave, slipping his left hand in his pocket as he did so. Spring seemed relieved that he didn't want to shake hands. "Hey."

"Hi," Spring returned softly, unsure of what else to say. It didn't matter anyway as Foxy jumped forward, startling the rabbit into taking two steps back.

"Aiden Fox, at your service!" Foxy declared with a mock bow, grin still in place. "But me mates call me Foxy."

"Felicia Fox," Vixy added next with a sweet smile and a simple wave. "You can call me Vixy or Mangle, whichever you prefer."

"Not Mangle," Foxy immediately added with a scowl, crossing his arms; suddenly his joking demeanor was gone and Big Brother Foxy was in which only served to make Spring's nervous fidgeting worse. Vixy sighed, glancing away from the red fox.

"Oh shut up, brother…" This only seemed to spur the fox on, however.

"Why would you accept a name like Mangle? Why would anyone accept a name meant to mock their appearance?!" Foxy demanded with a frustrated growl. Goldie noticed Spring wince, his left hand immediately going up to his neck to rub nervously. Goldie could understand; that was exactly what both of them had done, too. "That's like saying "Hi, I'm okay with you making fun of me!" Why-"

"Foxy, that's enough," Freddy scolded, low and warning, and immediately the fox's jaw snapped shut with a frustrated snarl. It was an old argument Foxy and Vixy had been having ever since she started responding to the cruel nickname and Freddy had gotten sick of it sometime in middle school. Somehow he was able to shut Foxy up in the middle of his rant, much to everyone else's relief.

"Um... I think I'll just call you Vixy," Spring muttered nervously, letting his hand drop back down to his side.

"Anyway!" Goldie interrupted, wanting to get rid of the tense air. "As you know this is my middle brother Freddy Fazbear, and that's Mike Schmidt. If you haven't noticed, he's mute so don't expect him to talk. Alright, introductions done, now what?"

Freddy sighed and shook his head slightly. Spring bit his lip and fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable, and glanced down at his sketchbook. It seemed to remind him of something if the way his ears perked slightly said anything.

"Oh, right… Um, I thought since no one else here speaks sign language you might want a way to actually talk to your friends," he mumbled, embarrassed, and handed the sketchbook over to Mike with a pencil attached to the front. Mike blinked in surprise as he took the sketchbook. It looked a lot newer than the ones in Spring and Goldie's room. "There are blank pages at the back…"

The rabbit seemed really embarrassed as the others were watching him hand the sketchbook over. Mike couldn't exactly decline politely, since he couldn't speak, so instead he just gave Spring a grateful smile. It seemed to help ease the rabbit's nerves as he smiled slightly back.

"Awww, Spring, you're so nice!" Chica squealed, hugging Bonnie's arm; at least she recognized the golden rabbit wouldn't appreciate sudden contact, Goldie thought, and attached herself to her own rabbit instead. The golden rabbit in question immediately blushed and glanced aside, fidgeting with his hands.

"It's just a sketchbook… I-I have a lot more…"

"Well, at least I know this means you don't mind people actually lookin' at your sketches," Goldie teased with a grin. "Seein' as I know the locations of all of your sketchbooks now."

"Why would I mind people looking at my stuff? You do realize that's what I'm in school for, right?" Spring shot back immediately, quirking a brow at him. It made Goldie a bit happy to see that the rabbit was bolder when speaking to him; that meant he was at least somewhat comfortable with him. "I can't be anxious about my drawings."

Goldie glanced over at Mike who was flipping curiously through the sketchbook now, Foxy leaning curiously over his shoulder to look at the drawings smattered across the pages.

"... But if you spill a drink on it I will never forgive you..."

The bear snorted as the fox looked up, pouting. "Aw, mate, I won't spill a drink on it! Have more faith in me!"

"Is that what ya told Freddy, too, moments before your spaghetti ended up on his head?" Goldie asked with a grin, ignoring Freddy's indignant huff.

"Oh come now, Freddy knows me well enough to know I can't be trusted."

"And now Spring knows better, too."

"He only knows from hearsay, that ain't reliable!"

"He saw the picture!"

Goldie's ear twitched as he noticed Mike pointing to something on the page, looking curiously at Spring. He watched from the corner of his eye as Spring shrugged with a sheepish smile and… signed something with his hands. _Hey now- what the hell?_ Mike didn't seem surprised to see the signing, instead returning the rabbit's sheepish smile with a small grin and a gesture of his own. _He must have signed something earlier… when none of us were watching… sneaky. How does he even know sign language?_

"Y'know, those're really good," Freddy interrupted the silent conversation as he stepped past Goldie to look at the sketchbook as well. Goldie watched as Spring seemed to shrink in on himself, his gaze flicking between the ground and the people.

"I can see why you were chosen to help paint the backdrops," Foxy added, glancing down at the sketchbook again. "By the way, how's progress on those goin'?"

Spring looked incredibly uncomfortable and Goldie had a feeling he needed to get the poor rabbit away from the group; the golden rabbit took a step back, fidgeting with his hands and his ears drooping nervously, not looking anyone in the eye. "U-uh, Marion and I are almost done designing them, we, uh, we just… just need to paint them now…" The rabbit's voice was getting smaller. The others seemed to notice his discomfort as they politely backed away to give the rabbit space. Spring didn't relax.

"Well, I bet they'll look awesome," Bonnie stated with a grin, glancing down at the pages Mike flipped through, though the speed Mike was flipping through told Goldie he was now seeking out one of the blank pages Spring mentioned in order to write something down. "Hey, guys, let's go get some ice cream or somethin', it's really hot out here."

"I'll skip," Goldie excused with a smirk. "I had a milkshake earlier."

"...You went to O'Malley's, didn't you."

"Yes we did, Alfred. Didn't'cha recognize it from the picture?"

"Well, we'll be back in a minute but I want ice cream," Bonnie huffed and began walking off, Chica laughing and following. Freddy rolled his eyes and followed along with Alfred (who threw a rather rude gesture over his shoulder), Bonsai, Chick and Vixy. Foxy stuck his tongue out at Goldie before racing after the group going for ice cream.

Soon, it was only Spring, Goldie, and Mike standing there. "Not gonna join them, Mike?" Goldie questioned and Mike shrugged before handing the closed sketchbook back to Spring with a quick gesture, and then he, too, hurried after the others. Spring blinked and opened the sketchbook to look at the note Mike had left. Goldie decided not to pry; he figured if Mike had handed it over like that then it meant it was supposed to be private.

"Sorry 'bout them," he apologized once everyone was out of earshot. "They usually keep a fair distance between themselves and new people, I dunno why they acted like that."

"Probably because you're being friendly to me," Spring suggested quietly, closing the sketchbook after reading the message. "It's fine, I just… wasn't expecting it. I haven't talked to a lot of people like that in years."

"Really?" Goldie asked curiously, raising a brow as he sat down on a bench. He patted the space next to him to encourage the fidgeting rabbit to sit as well.

"Yeah… I haven't spoken in a group setting in a while… why do you think Marion and I are the only ones working on the backdrop designs?" He laughed nervously as he sat down beside Goldie, the sketchbook lying in his lap. "But I did better than I expected, I suppose."

"I guess that explains why you're so hesitant to accept the invitation, huh?"

"Something like that…"

"So… um… where did you learn sign language?" He asked as casually as possible, glancing at Spring. Spring blinked and looked back at him, his ears twitching downwards again.

"Oh, you noticed that, then… Um…" He looked at the water, a small frown appearing on his face. "The accident… I don't know the details, I was too young to really understand, but the trauma caused something to happen with my brother's ears. He was deaf, so we all started to learn sign language to talk to him easier. I, uh, I continued learning even… even after..." The rabbit trailed off, looking like he was struggling to find the words.

"Oh…" Goldie frowned slightly, looking back towards the water. He didn't make the rabbit continue that thought; he was pretty sure he knew how it ended. "And you said he was… what… seven when the accident happened?"

"Yeah. Talk about crushed childhood dreams," Spring chuckled bitterly, his eyes flicking towards the ground and back up. "He wanted to be like Ma and Dad and... Uncle Hugh and… and… our godfather." He sighed, the grip on his sketchbook tightening. "He became obsessed with Beethoven after the accident. You know… thinking if… if Beethoven did it, he could too."

"Did he?" Goldie watched Spring's reaction, thinking maybe it was time to change the subject. He wasn't sure what to do if the rabbit started to cry and it was starting to look like Spring was on the verge of just that.

"I dunno." Spring's eyes flicked down towards the ground and back across the water again, his grip getting even tighter on his sketchbook. "I dunno," he repeated, quieter, and Goldie remembered the conversation he had overheard that first day of class, the one he wasn't supposed to have heard.

" _Just worry about finding Plushie and bringing him home, that's what's important."_

 _Oh. Plushie- that's his brother, isn't it? He was taken away at some point, huh..._

"It's fine," Goldie assured him as gently as he could, turning his own gaze back to the river. He pretended not to notice the rabbit look away, trying to hide the fact that he was hurting. "Everythin' will be just fine…"

The expression on Spring's face, however, said it wouldn't be. It said nothing was fine and it hadn't been for many years now, no matter how much the rabbit tried to convince himself and everyone else otherwise. That expression said that it still hurt, it was still a fresh wound, and he wasn't as ready as he thought he was to talk about it. Not casually, anyway, not to a near-stranger. An expression that revealed almost everything that kept the rabbit from opening up to anyone, kept the soft, kind, mischievous guy reserved and to himself, carrying some intimidating air that disappeared the moment you even so much as looked at him properly.

It was an expression that made Goldie's heart hurt and made him wish that he could somehow fix everything.

He knew he couldn't, though, so he changed the subject as they waited for his friends to return. All he could do was wait for the rabbit to be ready to offer that part of his life up… that was something he had no right to ask about yet. _Maybe I never will._


	13. Extras III

**Extras III**

"So my parents are coming to visit the school."

"That's nice."

"Trust me… no… it isn't. At all."

Bonsai looked up from the book he was reading, raising a brow at the youngest Fazbear in front of him. They were sitting in a cafe that was popular with students from the college in a booth, waiting for Freddy and Bonnie to join them. The bear looked sullen and irritated, staring out the window their booth was settled against. A small frown was tugging at his lips, showing just how displeased the usually jolly bear was.

"Ah, right… Lemme guess, they're coming to snoop around?" He asked, setting his book down to actually pay his friend some attention.

"Pretty much," Alfred sighed, picking his tea up. "Tell me which friends to keep and drop. The fact I'm nineteen now doesn't seem to matter to them."

"It never does with those types," Bonsai informed him with a sigh of his own. "You could be twenty with a job of your own and still try to control you. Hell, they'll probably try when you're married and have kids."

Alfred made a face and set his tea down. "If I ever have kids those freaks will never even _know_ about them," he muttered, glaring down at the table. "Don't want them ruining their childhood too."

"Relax, Al," Bonsai tried, not very good with the whole "comfort" thing. He didn't want to see his friend down in the dumps but he wasn't sure what he could say to actually comfort the bear. "Just think, when you move out you don't have to keep contact with them. They can't _actually_ control you."

The bear bit his lower lip and glanced up at Bonsai, looking like he wanted to say something but unsure of how to say it. Bonsai raised a brow at him, signalling him to just say it. "Bonsai, um, don't take this the wrong way, but, uh… they won't… like ya… like, at all…"

"I already knew that," Bonsai snorted, waving a hand dismissively. "Honestly, Alfred, I don't give a damn what your folks think of me. If I can survive my parents' reaction I can survive yours'."

"Heh, good point," Alfred laughed sheepishly, looking down at his tea again. "Just… just was sayin'. Just as a heads up, 'cause they're very vocal 'bout their opinions."

"You're saying they'll say it right to my face?"

"Yeah. They will," Alfred confirmed with another sigh. "It won't, uh, affect how you see me or my brothers, right? None of us agree with 'em, y'know..."

"Of course I know, if you did agree with them you'd be anywhere but here right now," Bonsai pointed out. "Remember, Al, I have shitty intolerant parents too. I know you aren't them." Alfred gave him a weak smile. "Geez, Alfred, I didn't know you were insecure," Bonsai commented, glancing down at his own cup of coke. "You know I'm not gonna dump you or your brothers just because of your parents, right? I mean- I kinda came here in the first place to be with Bonnie and that includes his friends, you know."

"I know, I know," Alfred agreed, staring intently at his cup. "I just… it's always a worry. I dunno why. I mean it wouldn't be the first time someone abandoned us because of our parents…"

"It'll all be alright, Alfred, don't worry," Bonsai told him, giving him a confident grin. "I'm not like most people, remember?"

Alfred finally looked at him and gave a slight grin in return. "Yeah, I remember. I mean, who else would put up with this crazy group?" He asked, feeling a bit better. Of course he knew what Bonsai _actually_ meant by that but he decided he would prefer to lighten the mood rather than open that can of worms again.

"Damn straight."

* * *

The couple lay together out by the pond, watching the stars twinkle in the night sky. It was a peaceful night, but the expression the young couple's face was anything but. The purple rabbit sighed and sat up abruptly, staring across the water. "This is getting really frustrating, Chica."

Chica sat up and sighed softly, looking at her boyfriend. "I know, Bonnie, but you're the one who said we gotta go about this gently. Can't just drop it on him."

"I know, he'd probably freak out if we did, but how long has it been now? Almost a year and a half?" The rabbit groaned, running a hand over his face. "And he's still completely oblivious to it…!"

Chica sighed again and slid her arm around Bonnie's shoulders, leaning against him comfortingly. "He's been acting a bit different, though," she pointed out hopefully. "And it hasn't been negative."

"Oh, Chica, I think he's only realizing what _he_ feels, not us," Bonnie told her tiredly, dropping his hand down into his lap and slipping his other arm around her waist. "That means it'll be _several_ months at the very _least,_ and that's best case scenario. It's not easy waitin' for him."

"I know, but we've waited this long, what's a little more time spent waiting?"

"The sad thing is I think I'd wait forever, if that's what it took," Bonnie admitted, looking at her. She gave him a sweet, understanding smile.

"Yeah, I would too," she agreed quietly, gently landing a kiss on his cheek. "But, you know… maybe we can try nudging him in the right direction? Why settle for subtle hints when we can be more direct about it?"

"We'd risk freaking him out. His family's as traditional as mine, Chica, not only is he predator and we're prey, he's a guy and I'm a guy and you and I are already in a relationship. That's like… four different taboos to his family."

"Screw his family's opinions," Chica huffed, shaking her head. "Since when have any of us listened to those old-fashioned morals, anyway? Besides, it's not like we need to just shove it in his face that we like him, just… more subtle things… like… inviting him with us to go somewhere, just the three of us. Like-"

"Sunday?" Bonnie suddenly suggested, looking at her. "You and I were planning to go see that movie… maybe we could invite him? I mean, it's a bit obvious, I guess, but..."

Chica smiled brightly at him and he couldn't help but smile back. "That's a wonderful idea, Bonnie! I'll text him about it right now!" She said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Bonnie watched over her shoulder, giving a goofy little grin at her wallpaper; it was him, her, and Freddy at the after-graduation party Chica's parents had thrown for them, all three of them wearing silly party hats designed to look like graduation caps and squished together on one small sofa, smiling for the camera. That had been a fun evening for all of them.

It had also been the evening that Bonnie realized that he had fallen for not just one best friend… but two of them.

The chicken pulled up her texts and quickly brought Freddy's chat up, starting off with her usual _'Hey Freddy!'_ He watched the conversation unfold, resting his chin contentedly on Chica's shoulder and wrapping both arms around her waist.

 _I hope he agrees._

* * *

He wanted to cry. He wanted to, he almost felt like he _needed_ to, but he hadn't cried in five years. Not since the day he saw his parents' caskets being lowered into the ground, not since the day he last saw his little brother being taken away by that familiar stranger claiming to be their mother's mother.

He wanted to cry but he wasn't sure how.

Softly, he closed the door behind him and let his bookbag crash to the floor. He didn't care about the sound, he didn't care that he may have woken Marion, and he certainly didn't care that he had just walked out in the middle of his art history class, ignoring his teachers demands to know where he was going. He knew he'd get hell for it later but right then he _didn't care._

It took him only three steps to get to the foot of his bed, then he practically tore his cosmos blanket off of the case, not paying any attention to the sketchbooks as they scattered across the floor. Carelessly dropping the blanket, he grabbed the case and hauled it up, setting it on his bed. His eyes were stinging now and he fumbled with the clasps, but after a few moments the case was open and the black and emerald guitar was exposed to the air for the first time in weeks.

A choked sob escaped his throat and he closed his eyes, pulling at his left ear. "No, no, no," he scolded himself, whirling around and yanking open the drawer to find his oak box. Normally he'd have gone for his sketchbooks but his vision was blurring; there was no way he could draw right now. It was his only fallback, the only thing he could think of.

With hands trembling from the effort to hold back more sobs, he pulled the cherry-oak box out of the drawer and returned to his guitar case, dropping down on the bed beside it. Carefully, he unclipped the thin gold latch and opened the box. It took him hardly three seconds to locate the gold-painted pick under another old photograph, sliding his fingers around it and pulling it out. He snapped the box shut and dropped it on the bed, turning to his guitar again and, carefully, he picked it up out of its soft fabric-lined case.

"Hey, old friend," he greeted shakily, ignoring the way his voice cracked. He didn't want to cry, not now, not ever again, but he could already feel tears trailing from his left eye, sinking through his fur and leaving clear tracts. He hoped to whatever deity may have been listening- if any- that the golden bear he shared a room with didn't walk in right then. "H-heh, I can't…" he breathed in sharply and settled the guitar on his lap, lightly running his fingers over the strings. "I c-can't deal right now… I just need a bit of help," he managed, lightly strumming the guitar with the pick.

He didn't play loudly but he did relax a bit, closing his eyes and letting his hands guide him along the tune. It was no tune in particular, it was just _something_ but it helped. It helped. He hardly even noticed the tears trailing down his cheeks, keeping his eyes closed and just playing, putting off the pain through the music, through the guitar he knew had once belonged to a rabbit nearly two feet shorter and twenty years older than himself, a rabbit he hadn't seen since the morning he died. Somehow, suddenly he felt closer to that memory, remembering the way he watched his father's hands move along the guitar, how he listened to his baritone voice harmonize with a chord, how a light piano and a soprano voice would join in and make everything whole. It made him feel better in a way he hadn't felt in a long time, letting go of the reigns and just… playing.

 _Haven't given up music, indeed…_

* * *

 **A/N** : If you're wondering why Spring is talking to Goldie about issues that are obviously painful and private, well, trust me, Spring isn't telling him even half of the story- just enough for Goldie to see him for who he is and know the basics of his background. And yes- I had planned all along for Spring's brother to be deaf. It becomes important later on, just trust me on this one.

And Arc IV has one or two more chapters in it.


	14. Arc IV, Part IV

**Arc IV, Part IV**

 **Natural**

Friday evening soon faded into night, sending the friends all back to their dorms, and Saturday began with a sudden, startled shriek that jolted Goldie awake at seven in the morning. Stumbling out of bed, Goldie made his way to the bedroom door and threw it open, freezing at the sight that greeted him.

Spring was standing in front of the open bathroom door, bright pink water covering him and a tipped bucket hanging by a string from the doorway. He also noticed some melting ice cubes on the still silver-covered floor. The rabbit's eyes were wide in shock as he just stood there, watching the bright pink colouring seep into his fur.

Goldie honestly didn't know whether to laugh or not.

The other door opened, Alfred peeking out with a devious grin which promptly dropped when he saw it was the rabbit standing, soaked, in front of the bathroom. "Oh! I'm sorry, Spring!" He immediately apologized, slipping out of the room to go over to the rabbit. "That was meant for Goldie…!"

Goldie bit his lip, trying to keep from laughing as the rabbit turned his wide-eyed gaze to the shortest bear brother. "B-but Spring always wakes up first," Goldie informed Alfred, unable to keep a small snort out of his voice. "God, I thought someone was dyin', Spring!" He finally laughed, the rabbit's attention turning to him in response.

The rabbit blinked owlishly for several seconds. "W-wait, did I just walk into your revenge prank?" He finally asked Alfred.

"Er… yeah… Sorry… um, the dye will come out… in… um… soon… ish…"

Goldie laughed even harder.

It took a moment for what had happened to completely sink into the surprised rabbit's mind, but then he let out a small laugh of his own, gazing back down at his dripping fingertips. "Geez, could've given a guy a little warning…" he told the shorter bear, glancing back up at him.

"Wait, you're not mad?" Alfred asked, seeming legitimately surprised. Freddy would have been livid. They had run into _that_ problem before. Speaking of Freddy, Goldie wondered where he was; Spring's shriek hadn't exactly been quiet...

Right as this thought passed through his mind, there was a rapid knocking at the door which was, surprisingly, answered by Marion, who opened the door to allow Goldie's concerned brother and friends in. Spring paid them no mind, instead answering Alfred with a small, mischievous smile. "No, it just means you still have to get Goldie…"

Alfred immediately grinned and Goldie's laughter abruptly cut off with a small choke. "Spring!" Goldie yelped, staring at the wet rabbit. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"That was before I walked into a freezing cold trap meant for _you_."

The others just watched this quizzically as Alfred began laughing. "Why is he turning pink?" Bonnie quietly asked Marion.

"Alfred wanted revenge on his brother. Unfortunately, he failed to realize that it is Springtrap who gets up first," Marion explained calmly, though a glint in his eye revealed his amusement. Clearly he had purposefully neglected to inform the youngest bear of this as he watched him set the trap up. Bonnie's gaze returned to the scene, an amused grin sliding into place.

"Ah."

Freddy sighed and put a hand over his face. "My brothers are morons," he muttered affectionately, watching his brothers and the rabbit converse; two looking mischievous and the other looking mock-betrayed. "I get the feelin' this silver tarp ain't movin' anytime soon?"

"I feel it would not be in the best interest of the carpet," Marion agreed with a chuckle. "If you would excuse me, it is time I get ready for bed. Hopefully they will quiet down soon," he added the last part almost as an afterthought, turning towards his bedroom door and going inside.

"Spring!" Goldie whined, getting the others' attention again. "Why are you plotting against me now? Al's the one who set the water up!"

"And it was meant for you."

"You're the one who gets up at the crack of dawn…"

"Perhaps," Freddy interrupted before the rabbit could respond, "Spring here should go get a shower before he catches a cold or somethin'. I doubt ice water is very comfortable."

"Pfft, more like you know it's not," Alfred snorted, giving Freddy a look. The darker bear rolled his eyes. "The pink will fade by Monday… probably."

Spring raised a brow. "Probably…?"

"Probably," Alfred repeated with a small, sheepish grin.

Goldie grinned again, wide and mischievous. "You should visit Mr. Hugh and Mrs. Natalie~!" He suggested teasingly. "Wonder what nickname they'd give you now that you're pink."

"I will murder you all in your sleep," Spring sighed, but there was no bite to it. Just a few days before, though, that sentence would have terrified Goldie, even if it was said in the most obviously joking way possible.

"Good luck getting into our room," Alfred cackled. "Sorry, Gold."

"I can pick locks."

Goldie blinked, surprised. "You can?"

Foxy grinned at Spring. "Yay, I'm no longer alone!" He laughed, looking at Freddy and pointing dramatically at the bear's face with his… missing hand. "Told you I'm not the only rebel at this school, Fazbear!" Freddy rolled his eyes as Bonnie laughed.

Spring blinked in confusion. "How does that- never mind, I'm cold." He sighed and continued into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"W-wait!" Alfred tried, but it was too late.

There was a "what the-" immediately followed by a startled yelp. Freddy gave Alfred a look; Alfred was cringing slightly, waiting for what would happen next.

After a few seconds, the rabbit poked his head out of the door, a thicker, hot pink liquid on his head and ears and dripping down his face and onto his shoulders. "Okay, I'm back on Goldie's side," he deadpanned before closing the door again. Goldie hardly noticed it was the first time the rabbit actually called him by name; he was too focused on the fact that the rabbit had switched back to his team... and laughing at the sight of a glob of pink on top of the rabbit's head.

"Yes!" Goldie cheered between his laughs as Alfred whined. "Thanks, Al," he added teasingly, heading back to his room. A glance at the clock showed it was hardly 7:15… now he was wide awake, though. "Guess I'll just wait for the shower to be available and start my day," he decided, pulling open his drawer. Immediately, though, he let out a shriek and fell backwards, away from the drawer of shirts.

Alfred's laughter reached his ears and he growled, glaring down at the fake recluses settled on top of his neatly folded clothes. "You are so dead, little brother."

* * *

It was about four in the afternoon when Goldie ran into Spring again. The rabbit's fur was still stained pink, the thick fur on his head and ears a darker pink than anywhere else, but the rabbit didn't seem too bothered by it. Goldie supposed it was because he was already used to getting strange looks and then he immediately berated himself for the thought.

"So, what happened?" Goldie asked without greeting, giving a sly grin. The rabbit's eyes narrowed at him, but the effect was somewhat lost by the amusement tugging at his lips.

"I think Natalie nearly died laughing."

"Huh. That sounds fun," the golden bear laughed.

"She laughed the entire four hours I was there," Spring deadpanned. That only made Goldie laugh more. "Oh stop laughing, this was supposed to be you..."

"I'm sure Al will cook up somethin' much worse for me now," Goldie assured him as they just began walking across campus, neither even asking where they were going. "Maybe even literally."

"Hopefully I don't walk into it instead…"

Goldie snickered, glancing at him. "Yeah, maybe you should watch your step. And the walls and ceiling."

"Brilliant," Spring finally laughed himself, shaking his head. The two stayed silent for a few moments as they walked, a bag hanging from Spring's shoulder.

"So~!" Goldie started suddenly, breaking the silence. "You thought about it?" Spring glanced at him, looking unsure.

"About… what?"

"Tonight? The others said they were just fine with it, remember?"

It took a few moments. "Oh… right." The rabbit rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean... I guess?"

It was hesitant and unsure, but it was a yes nonetheless and Goldie grinned. "Awesome, I'll tell the others~!" He stated, pulling out his phone to text his friends the news. Spring rolled his eyes slightly.

Goldie felt like he was making good progress with the rabbit, especially considering in the beginning he wanted nothing to do with him. Granted, maybe the reason he changed his mind wasn't on a good, solid base- a guitar he wasn't even supposed to know about- but hey, it was something... and it wasn't like he'd go through all this effort just because of a guitar. He legitimately liked the rabbit.

"Well come on, the movie's at six," Goldie told him with a grin, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "You've got some paint on your face, by the way."

The rabbit blinked and huffed softly. "Couldn't have mentioned that a minute ago?" He questioned, lifting a hand to his face to try and locate the paint splotch in his fur. Goldie snickered at him and tapped his own left cheek to indicate where it was.

"Nah, it compliments the pink."

"Oh you're mean."

"Thank you."

He watched in amusement as the rabbit found the splotch of blue and sighed. "Really, though, what were ya painting that needed that shade of blue?" He questioned with an amused grin.

"It probably happened while I was mixing colours," Spring answered with a shrug, letting his hand fall back to his side. Something about it bugged Goldie and he knew exactly what it was. He had noticed it when the rabbit was drawing, when he was painting, when he was picking up or putting something down. Finally he decided to ask about it.

"By the way, I keep noticin' ya favour your left hand," Goldie commented, pulling the door to the dorm house open and waiting for him to walk through. "Are ya left handed?"

"No, I'm not," Spring laughed a bit, shaking his head as he stopped to wait for Goldie inside the building. He continued speaking as they headed together towards the stairs. "Well, not completely. I just prefer drawing with my left hand."

"Not completely?" Goldie raised a brow at that. "How can you be not completely left handed?"

"Um, it's called ambidextrous?" Spring suggested a bit sarcastically, raising his hands. "My mom was a piano player, she'd be damned if I couldn't use both hands proficiently." Goldie tried not to find the rabbit cursing funny, instead concentrating on his hands.

"Oh, so you were taught how to use your left hand?"

"Yeah. I'm not naturally ambidextrous. Ma had me using both hands from a young age, or so I've been told."

That was a strange sentence. "Or so you've been told?" Goldie looked at him, brow scrunched up in confusion. "What's that s'posed to mean?"

Spring gave a noncommittal shrug. "I was too young to remember. Long as I remember, I've been using both hands."

Something about that nagged at Goldie's mind but he dismissed it with a grin. "That's kinda cool." He pulled his key out and unlocked the door. "Vix and Foxy had to learn to use their left hands instead, too, before they got their prosthetics. Did your mom teach ya how to play piano?"

The rabbit slipped into the dorm room and let his bag settle on the ground, heading towards the bathroom. Goldie followed, though he stayed a respectful distance from the door. "She tried. I never really caught on…" Spring confessed, grabbing a rag to scrub at the splotch of blue on his cheek. "I mean, I know where the keys are but I never got past the "peck at them with your fingers" thing. The, ah… how to put it…"

"Hand position?" Goldie offered.

"Good enough. I never really understood that. It's like… typing. I pretty much failed that portion of my computer class."

Goldie snorted, thinking about when they first began teaching them to type "properly" in his own school. About... fifth- no, sixth grade? They had been adamant that the students typed "correctly," right fingers on the J, K, L, and ; keys and left fingers on A, S, D, and F keys with thumbs positioned over the space bar. Alfred and Chica had been the only ones of their entire group who had been able to stick with it, not even Freddy had managed after the class was done with.

"I understand that," Goldie agreed, watching the rabbit check for any more blue in his pink-stained fur. "I always thought that was stupid, but I guess it makes sense. Optimal position to reach everythin' on the keyboard."

"Unless you actually, you know, need the keys on the numpad," Spring shot back, wringing the water out of his rag and setting it over the lip of his sink.

"True that," Goldie laughed, heading to the bedroom now. He dropped his bag down next to his bed and flopped down across it, sighing as he stared up at the ceiling. Someone in the room above him was walking around, what sounded like a booted heel against wood making the usually-quiet steps twice as loud.

Spring reappeared at the door with his own bag over his shoulder, which he set down next to his own bed, and he sat down, leaning back against the wall. "Tell me again why you guys want to watch a movie from the eighties?"

"Because it's funny?" Goldie suggested.

"Technically Cat Meets Mouse is an action romance," Spring pointed out, looking over at the golden bear with a raised brow.

"Yeah, but by today's standards it's hilarious. Just compare it to what we have today."

"Think they'll ever do a modern reboot?" Spring wondered aloud, glancing at the ceiling as there was a particularly loud thump from above. "I mean, they don't usually show old movies in theaters unless there's plans for a reboot, right?"

"I dunno, I don't pay _that_ much attention."

The roommates allowed the silence to fall over them. It was a rather peaceful silence, not tense or stressed. It was only broken by the footsteps above and the occasional thump as whoever was above them moved things around. Quickly, though, the sound of their upstairs neighbor began grating on both of their nerves.

Finally Spring asked, "Do you play any instruments?" It was such a sudden question about a subject Spring never brought up before that it caught Goldie off guard. It took him a moment to realize it was branching off of their earlier conversation about Spring being ambidextrous and lack of luck with the piano. He hummed softly, staring at the ceiling to think and glancing over at his roommate, trying to think of how to answer.

"Well, yeah, but I'm more a vocalist than anythin'. I can't make an instrument _sing_ , y'know? I can play a couple, but I can't… _play_ , if that makes sense," he floundered with the words, trying to find the right way to describe it.

"So you can sing but you play instruments mechanically?" Spring asked, watching him. Goldie nodded, figuring that was the best description of it.

"Technically speakin' I was good, but I never really knew how to, um… emote through an instrument? It's a lot easier for me to put life into my voice than what I'm playin'," the golden bear told him. "If that makes sense."

"It does," Spring assured him with a small smile. "I'm gonna take a guess and say you were forced to learn?"

"Yeah," Goldie chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "My parents didn't make any of us learn but we had an instruments class at school. I always got good grades, since I was technically correct, but I never got A's. Freddy and Alfred were better at that than me. Alfred… man, you ought'a hear him play. Ya'd think angels were playin' for him. Anythin' he picked up, dammit, he could make that sucker sing."

Spring listened to this curiously, a small smile on his face. "What instruments did you all learn?"

"Well, piano was somethin' all of us were made to learn by the school," Goldie admitted with a sheepish grin. "Alfred also went for violin and cello and continued even after the class. He dropped them all halfway through freshman year highschool, 'round about the time we all gave up on our parents." The bear pretended not to notice the rabbit's slight flinch; to someone who had loved their parents, being told some people give up on theirs probably wasn't a nice feeling. "Freddy decided not to try anythin' else, rather concentrate on the stuff he actually wanted to do. And me, eh, I tried my hand at guitar but quickly decided that that wasn't for me after the first cut. Didn't matter anyway, our parents threw a fit the moment they found out Alfred and I were messin' around with guitars."

"Why'd they throw a fit?" Spring asked, frowning at the words. "There's nothing wrong with guitars."

"My parents think they're too improper for a Fazbear," Goldie sneered, rolling his eyes. "But like I said, it wouldn't've mattered. I decided pretty quickly guitar wasn't an instrument for me, I'd leave that to Bonnie."

"Couldn't take the heat, huh?" Spring teased a bit, lightly flexing his fingers as his gaze trailed towards the foot of his bed. Again, Goldie pretended not to notice.

"You could say that," Goldie agreed with a small grin. "It was hell on the hands. Dunno how anyone can play."

"Well, a lot of people play with a pick," Spring told him with a quiet, mocking scoff. "Though really for most people I guess it depends on the kind of guitar… Some people only use a plectrum with electric..."

There was no way Goldie could resist the temptation. He watched Spring for several silent seconds. Oddly enough it was the silence that got the rabbit's gaze to return to him, his brow raised in confusion as he saw his roommate staring at him. Then Goldie gave him a grin and asked, "What, ya got experience with guitars?" He was happy to note he put enough curiosity into his voice even though he already knew the answer.

Goldie almost regretted the question, though, when a grimace crossed Spring's face, even if it was only for a moment. The rabbit reached his hand up quickly to his neck where he ran his fingers through his fur, averting his eyes towards the window. "Yeah… My brother and I grew up learning it. Well, you know- until my brother went deaf, but… that… yeah… dad taught us…" the rabbit's voice trailed off, his eyes not meeting Goldie's as though he was ashamed of something.

"Did you guys use picks?" He risked one last question about it.

"Dad never did, Dante never really got to play and I learned to alternate… Um… Hugh taught me to use a pick, since dad was useless with one," he added the last part as an afterthought, then he did what Goldie was planning to do anyway. He changed the subject. Unfortunately for Goldie, it was that last subject _he_ wanted to be on. "What did you mean when you said you guys gave up on your parents?"

Goldie frowned and glanced at the ceiling. The footsteps had silenced sometime during their talk of guitars, not that he had noticed. He didn't want to answer the question but at the same time he figured it was only fair; he was asking the rabbit uncomfortable questions, why shouldn't he be subject to the same?

However, the golden rabbit seemed to realize he'd asked about a touchy subject and quickly went to apologize, not wanting to upset his roommate. "I'm sorry," he started, "you don't have to-"

"Nah, it's alright," Goldie interrupted with a small, forced grin, waving his concern away. "I've been askin' ya really uncomfortable questions since day one, it's only fair ya caught one of mine," he added with a laugh. "It's just, my parents hate me."

The blunt "it's just how it is" answer shocked the rabbit, who stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. "Hate you? W-what?"

"I know it seems like teenage angst carryin' over into my adult life but it's true," Goldie said, sitting up finally to lean against the wall himself, facing his roommate. "They never liked me or Alfred. We weren't… I dunno… good enough. Our grades weren't perfect, we couldn't play or sing every song they placed in front of us, we were mischievous and rambunctious and left things everywhere-"

"But that's typical kid stuff," Spring interrupted, sounding like he wasn't sure what to think. "Kids always leave stuff everywhere."

"Well, our parents didn't like it," he muttered, looking away. "Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if Freddy hadn't been able to live up to all of their expectations. Maybe they would have lowered them if all of us failed. But Freddy- well, he's smart and talented. Always got top grades and he's even in a double program. And then he's friendly and the perfect gentleman… most of the time. I think a word that fits him is prodigy. He was the perfect son that everyone wanted, and everyone wanted to be his friend." Goldie gave a wry smile. "Too bad for them Freddy came as a package deal. They liked Freddy- loved him, even- but Al and me? Nope. And Freddy… for all everyone showered him with praise and love, he was dedicated to _us_. Never shoved it in our face, always shared everythin' he got, always told us every day that he was proud of us and loved us, he even skipped out on a concert our parents forced him into to come watch Al and I in the school concert instead. Maybe that's the real reason we shoved everyone else away."

Goldie realized he was rambling but he couldn't help it and the rabbit wasn't stopping him. Instead the rabbit was listening to his words with a small frown and his brow furrowed. "Mom and dad didn't even care that Alfred could proficiently play three instruments and wanted to learn a fourth, or that four years runnin' the school used my compositions in our concerts." He snorted softly and shook his head. "Freddy gets a solo, though, and they want to throw a fucking party."

"It sounds like you could have easily ended up resenting Freddy instead," Spring commented softly once it became clear that Goldie wasn't saying more.

"Yeah… we almost did, I'm sure. At some point. But then Freddy told us he couldn't stand it. He just wanted to curl up in bed with a book and talk to his friends and listen to music, he didn't want so much pomp and circumstance for somethin' that happened every year."

"I get that your parents were neglectful and had a favouritism problem, but what makes you think they hate you?" Spring asked carefully, keeping his voice soft and gentle. It wasn't an accusing tone and it wasn't a disbelieving tone. It was just a tone that said he wanted to understand. Goldie recognized it because he'd already used it with the rabbit just the day before, when he had asked about his brother.

"How about the fact they pretty much said so?" The golden bear suggested, leaning his head back against the wall to look at the ceiling. "Alfred and I were arguin' with our parents over somethin' really stupid. We were, I dunno… eighth, ninth grade, and we wanted 'em to come to our concert. They always took time off for Freddy's so… when they said they were too busy, we used that against 'em. And then they said, y'know… that Freddy was actually important to 'em. That he was _worth_ watching." He paused and closed his eyes. He could still remember that day very clearly, how him and both Alfred and Freddy froze at those words, how they all simply walked away and hid out in Goldie's bedroom and tried to forget. But he remembered and he knew they remembered too.

" _Because Freddy is actually important and is_ worth _taking time off for, you spoiled brats._ "

That was when they gave up. That was when Freddy emotionally disowned their parents and tried to be everything Goldie and Alfred needed, tried to give them all of the care and attention their parents had never offered.

How sad it is when your younger brother is a better parent than your mother or father ever was. Not that Goldie would admit that to Freddy. After all, he was his _younger_ brother. If anything, Goldie should have been the one trying to be dad, but how can you give that love away when you've never even known it…?

Spring didn't say anything, letting the silence stretch out. When Goldie opened his eyes to look at the rabbit he saw a displeased, sad frown on his face. There was no way the golden rabbit understood from experience but he could tell the rabbit understood empathetically, that he was at least trying to see Goldie and his brothers' side.

"Not all parents love their kids, Spring," Goldie informed the rabbit softly, looking back to the ceiling. He didn't want to see the rabbit's expression. "They have an image and they have an obligation, but if Freddy wasn't adamant about attendin' school with us… well, Alfred and I would probably not've been sent here. Too expensive for a couple of no-talent brats, y'know?"

"They sound like people I don't want to meet," he heard his roommate say, his voice soft yet... somehow harsh at the same time.

"I don't wanna meet 'em and I'm their son," Goldie snorted, looking at the rabbit again. "We all dread the holidays when we gotta leave campus. Christmas? Just more of the same song and dance."

"Not enjoyable, huh?"

"Y'know how most families have family dinners and exchange gifts and stuff?" When Spring nodded, Goldie continued with, "Well, forget that with my family. We have an extravagant tree at my parents' business place and the entertainment rooms in our house are decorated, but my parents basically throw a Christmas ball for their business partners and some family members. No family dinner, no Christmas carols, no laughter, nothin' like that. Just more pomp and circumstance."

"That sounds… horrible." Spring's voice managed to somehow be softer than before and Goldie almost wanted to laugh. He wanted to bite out that at least he still has his brothers. How could _Goldie Fazbear_ have a horrible life when he was from a multi millionaire family and no one he's ever cared about has died or been taken away? How could he have had a horrible life when he wasn't the one who was mangled in a car crash? After all, those are things other people have said; _at least you still have parents, at least you're not poor and starving, at least you're healthy and strong._

He only had parents who didn't like him and were obsessed with their appearances and reputation and money, and he spent most of his childhood pushing people away and clinging to his brothers, being teased relentlessly by other kids for being so different and stand-offish, only letting other twins in to see who he really was- to see that he wasn't "Golden Freddy" but Frederick Fazbear, just "Goldie"... that he wasn't just his brother in another colour.

His world was small. Very small. What was so horrible about that?

But he didn't say that. He didn't say it because he knew what the rabbit meant. Spring had lost his family but he had loved them and they loved him while he still had them. Goldie, on the other hand… never had that in the first place. Spring was simply imagining how it would have felt to have never had his own parents' love. He was trying to put himself in the Fazbears' shoes.

"I try not to dwell on it," he finally settled on saying, giving his roommate the best grin he could muster. "I have my brothers and I have my friends… and I have my music. What more do I need?"

"There's a huge difference between parental love and brotherly love…" Spring told him softly, sadly. Goldie tried not to feel angry at that, tried not to feel bitter about it. "But… you're right. You don't need that kind of weight. It's best to concentrate on the positives in life." That helped to calm him down somewhat. So the rabbit _did_ understand. But he frowned because the rabbit's eyes were always so sad- how could Spring tell _him_ to look at the positives in life when the rabbit wouldn't even do the same for himself?

"You could take that advice yourself, y'know," he sighed, watching the rabbit.

The silence that fell after he said that was heavy, a conflicted expression on the rabbit's face. Finally, though, Spring's frown relaxed into a neutral, sad smile, averting his eyes towards the window again. "I've never been good at taking my own advice."

It was both a sad and humorous statement and Goldie let out a short, breathy laugh. It was devoid of amusement, though, because really… what was so amusing about that? The rabbit pretty much just called himself a hypocrite and admitted in the same breath that he wasn't happy. No, there wasn't anything funny about that. He decided to change the subject yet again, finding it hard to breathe in the heavy atmosphere they had created.

"C'mon, let's go enjoy a shitty drama and forget we talked about this," Goldie said, standing up off of his bed and stretching. "Y'know, for strangers we're certainly talkin' a lot about uncomfortable and personal things."

Spring watched him for a few moments before he nodded in agreement, sliding off of his bed to stand as well. "Despite everything you're surprisingly easy to talk to…" the rabbit told him, obviously trying to make a joke while confessing that he actually liked the bear's companionship. It made Goldie feel happier and he decided to play along with the joke.

"Not sure if I should be flattered or not," Goldie chuckled, grabbing his keys off of the nightstand. He paused for a moment and glanced at the rabbit, deciding he should at least respond to the semi-hidden compliment. "Surprisingly, you are too," he admitted awkwardly but truthfully, running his fingers over his keys. He enjoyed the rabbit's companionship, too; it was so much different from his old time friends' and brothers'. "I might start botherin' ya more often," he added with a real grin, attempting to erase the awkward, heavy air between them.

It worked, Spring laughing and shaking his head at the bear. "You'll get bored real quick," he warned as he followed Goldie out the door, shutting it behind them. "I'm not very interesting."

"Au contraire, you're more interestin' than anyone I've met in a long time," Goldie contradicted. "And I haven't gotten bored yet, Mr. Pink."

"You're mean."

"And you're pink."

"Oh please, I'm fabulous."

Goldie snorted, glancing over his shoulder towards his roommate who had just shut the dorm room's door. "Absolutely," he agreed with a mocking posh voice, grinning as the rabbit laughed and stuck his tongue out at him childishly. Somehow it seemed comfortable, it seemed... natural.

And he decided that he _really_ wanted to call this rabbit "friend."


	15. Arc IV, Part V

**Arc IV, Part V**

 **Guy's Night Out**

- _Spring's Perspective-_

The trip to the theater was… eventful, to say the least. Goldie had practically dragged him to the passenger seat, leaving the other six to fight over the back seats. It ended with Freddy and Bonnie in the middle seats and Foxy sitting center in the back, Alfred on his left behind Freddy and Bonsai on his right behind Bonnie. Mike found himself sitting in the floorboard against Foxy's legs, which rather unnerved the rabbit but he didn't complain. It seemed natural for them as no one else mentioned it.

Instead he concentrated on the passing landscape, listening with an amused smile as the group of friends sang horribly off key to "Don't Stop Believing." Underneath the exaggeration Spring could tell that, if they were really wanting to, they could sing the song perfectly- even the fox. It reminded him a lot of road trips he and his brother used to take with their family of seven.

 _Seven…_ he frowned. _No, we were never a family of seven. That was just some lie. It was really just the six of us and a stranger we thought we knew…_

His ear twitched when he heard the turn signal come on and glanced over towards Goldie, watching as the bear waited for the road to be clear before turning left into the plaza the movie theater was in. It wasn't a large theater, the kind that only had one viewing room. It was just a small-town theater but Spring had never been inside of it, choosing to spend his own Saturday nights with a sketchbook or canvas somewhere on campus instead.

"Alrighty, guys, here we are!" Goldie happily called over the music, seamlessly parking the vehicle and switching the stereo off. Spring slipped quietly out of the van and watched as Foxy practically leapt over Bonnie to be the first out of the back, laughing triumphantly. The rabbit raised a brow but the others seemed completely unfazed by it, except Mike who just rolled his eyes. When the mute human climbed out, he glanced up at Spring's confused expression and gave him a smile, lifting his hands.

' _That's just Foxy being Foxy'_ , those hands said and Spring just nodded in understanding.

"C'mon, let's go get good seats," Alfred called to them, already halfway across the parking lot with Foxy and Bonsai.

"It's a movie from the nineties, I doubt anyone else will be here," Bonnie snorted, glancing at Freddy and Goldie. "Except maybe people older than us."

"I still have memories from the nineties," Goldie retorted with a mock-haughty sniff.

"No ya don't, we were born in '97," Freddy retorted, rolling his eyes. "The only one of us who should be able to remember the 90's is Spring and even that's a thin window." Clearly Freddy somehow knew Spring was older than them. Spring didn't mind, though; it wasn't like he was keeping his age a secret from them.

He blinked and gave a small grin and a shrug in response. "The nineties were a long time ago," he said vaguely as they walked. "Though I guess I can remember some things. I'm not _that_ old, you know."

Goldie gave the rabbit a grin. "Aw, really? '95 was a good year to be born."

"Says the guy who wasn't even thought about," scoffed Bonnie. "My parents had at least been thinkin' about children by that time."

"Your parents are rabbits, rabbits always think about havin' kids," Goldie shot back with a small huff. Spring frowned at that thought, glancing at the sky.

It was pretty much true. Rabbits were rather famous, or infamous depending on who you asked, for having many children and starting young. His own parents had only waited until after college so neither of them would need to give up their goals and Natalie had decided she loved Hugh more than she loved the thought of children, even if their interspecies marriage would exclude them from ever being able to adopt. Some laws still needed to be worked on…

But Spring? Well, he himself had no interest in children. Maybe that just made him weird, or maybe it was just an effect of everything else that was weird about him. Who knows, he couldn't even really re-

He was yanked out of his thoughts when he felt himself being pulled backwards by his arm. "Geez, Spring, watch out," Goldie was saying. Spring looked at him, noticing a worried crease in his brow and a frown tugging at his lips. Apparently noticing Spring's confusion, he said, "Ya nearly kept walkin' across even though there was clearly a car comin'."

"Your mind elsewhere?" Bonnie teased, though Spring could definitely see there was a glint of worry in his magenta eyes.

"Ah- s-sorry," he laughed awkwardly. "I was just thinking about something. I guess I lost focus."

"Well don't do that, ya nearly scared the hell outta me," Goldie complained with a pout, but that worried crease didn't disappear. Spring was starting to think the bear actually did care.

Spring still didn't understand what the bear was trying to accomplish. Why he was suddenly being so friendly towards him. All he could understand was that the bear wanted to be his friend and for some reason, he himself wanted to be the bear's friend too. But it was hard being friends with people, it was dangerous. You could get hurt.

He had learned that years ago.

Still, though, he gave the bear a small smile and turned his eyes back to the lot ahead of them, glancing around for cars before heading across with the two bears, human, and rabbit. They went to the booth to get their tickets, the lady in the booth giving them all a look over. Spring fidgeted, confused about this, before the lady's eyes landed on him and Mike.

She sighed. "You do realize this movie is NC-17 right?" She droned boredly, her eyes switching between the human and the rabbit. The group all exchanged confused looks.

"Uh, yeah?" Goldie blinked. "What's the problem?"

"You have to be over seventeen."

"Um… Mike, you're eighteen, right?" Goldie asked, Mike nodding his confirmation. "Alright then, we're all age appropriate, can we go in now?"

"I need to see some ID," the lady sighed, tapping the desk with her long painted-green nail. "From you too," she added towards Spring.

A moment of silence passed before Goldie burst out laughing. "Go one, Spring, prove you're not sixteen!" He laughed, lightly nudging the rabbit's arm. Spring rubbed a hand across his face; he could feel an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks. _Dammit, I'm twenty-one... I don't look that young, do I?_

"Shut up, Goldie, it's not funny…" Mike had already pulled out his own ID to prove that he was eighteen. Spring felt really embarrassed about all of this; he was twenty-one for goodness' sake. However, he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and pulled his licence out, handing it over for the lady to inspect.

She raised a brow when she saw the age, but then something else caught her eye. "Durrell Franks?" She questioned, looking at the rabbit. "You're Elaine and Edmund's oldest, right?"

Spring's ears immediately flattened at the sound of the names. He could feel Goldie glancing at him but he resisted looking at the bear. "Yeah…" he answered hesitantly. "Why? Did you know them?" He asked more out of politeness, taking his licence back from her. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, very glad now that Cat Meets Mouse was such an old movie that not many people would come. There was no one in line behind them… and the lady had yet to hand their tickets over.

"They were friends of mine," the lady explained, giving him a smile. "Shame what happened to them, what a horrible way to go- their own best friend, even! Just goes to show you need to be careful who you trust." There was an awkward silence among the group of five as the words registered in each of their minds. Spring was absolutely horrified.

"Pl… D… y-you... Don't…" Spring stuttered, his eyes wide. She had just said that with a smile. She had just spoken about their deaths while _smiling_ and acting as though it was _their own fault_. "D-don't say that with a smile…!" He backed away from the booth, clenching his fist around his wallet and leveling her with a glare that was probably ruined by his trembling hands and shoulders.

"Spring…" Goldie started, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Spring instinctively shied away from the gesture, his gaze still on the booth lady.

"What? It's true, isn't it? They trusted the wrong person and they paid the price," the lady chirped, apparently not realizing the effect her words were having on him. "And so soon after you lost everything else, huh? Shame, they can't even help you rega-"

"Shut up!"

It startled everyone, including Spring himself, when his words echoed around them and probably through the open doors of the theater. It was the first time Spring had ever raised his voice around other people. The lady blinked in surprise, staring at him with an expression of mixed confusion and indignancy. As if she had a right to be offended.

"You don't know anything," Spring whispered, purposefully keeping his voice quiet. "We're just here to see a movie, just… stop. You don't know anything."

"Ma'am, our tickets please," Freddy finally inserted himself into the conversation, not sounding very happy at all. Goldie's hand grabbed Spring's arm to pull him back away from the booth, away from that woman, as Freddy stepped forward to do damage control.

"Spring, calm down." Goldie's voice was gentle and soothing and Spring really wanted to calm down, but how could he? That lady had just claimed to be his parents' friends and then started talking about how they died _with a smile._ "Just ignore her, that was out of line."

"Dammit," Spring hissed, dropping his wallet back into his pocket and tugging at his ear- a habit he had developed sometime over the years when he was stressed or nervous. "I-I just… sh-she… th-they… who the _fuck_ does she think she is?!"

He didn't look at Goldie, not wanting to see his expression- his confusion, his uncertainty, his curiosity. He knew the bear wouldn't ask, though. Goldie was good at knowing which questions to not ask.

Even if he didn't, the way Spring was reacting was probably a really big clue.

"Calm down, Spring," Goldie repeated and Spring noticed the younger bear's hand on his back. It was somewhat familiar, somewhat comforting, and he didn't shy away this time. "She doesn't mean anythin' in the large scheme of things," he added. "It'll be alright. Let's just go enjoy a bad movie and forget about this, okay?"

 _Forget about this._ But Spring knew he couldn't. None of them would forget about it. And after that, what if they decided to research his parents- or, worse, him? Everything about him would be discovered and he really didn't want that. He wanted to tell his newfound friend- friends? He wasn't sure about the others- on his own terms, not let him-them?- read the articles that didn't even have half of the story.

Spring took a calming breath. He knew if he continued reacting this way it would only encourage the bear to look into it. He needed to calm down- act like it didn't affect him as badly as it did. _Might be too late for that._ "Right," he mumbled, rubbing his cheek nervously. "Right. Just. Yeah. Let's forget that happened…"

He looked at the golden bear. The concern was very noticeable, clear in the way his brows were drawn together, in the way he chewed on his bottom lip, in the way his eyes gleamed. It was obvious and he felt bad for worrying the bear.

"Come on," he tried, forcing a smile. The bear's expression didn't disappear or soften. "Let's just watch the movie."

Goldie nodded slightly in agreement and the two headed for the door where Goldie's brother and friends were waiting. Spring tried not to notice their expressions closely mirrored Goldie's; the concern and the worry made him feel ashamed. He pointedly ignored the lady in the booth as he headed inside with the others. They bought some snacks and drinks before entering the viewing room and finding the other three of their group, the three who had not witnessed the scene. None of them mentioned what happened as they settled down in the almost-empty audience, but Spring had no doubt that they would learn about it when he was not there to hear the friends talk.

For the time being, though, it was nice to settle down in his seat with a sweet tea and popcorn and just watch the dumb, outdated movie that so did not require an NC-17 rating.

The adult themes weren't even explicit, after all.

* * *

" _Oh, hey Uncle D. You here to see mom and dad?"_

" _Sure am, little rabbit."_

" _Uncle D, I'm sixteen now- I'm not little anymore."_

" _You'll always be little in my book. You two headin' off to school?"_

" _Yeah. Dante woke up late so we're kind of in a hurry. Seeya after school!"_

" _Have a good day, you two."_

" _..."_

" _Hm? Is somethin' wrong, little rabbit?"_

" _It's just… Hey, uh, Unc? Mom and dad seem really upset lately… they won't tell me what's going on. They say I'm too young to understand and that I don't need the stress on top of everything else going on. Do you think you can talk to them instead? I'm kinda worried... mom was crying last night and dad couldn't get her to stop. Even singing her favourite song and trying to play the piano for her didn't help."_

" _Don't worry, Durrell, I've got it covered. It's what I'm here for anyway- that's what friends do. I'll take care of 'em. Now hurry on, your brother's gettin' impatient, little rabbit. Gimme a hug before ya go. Ha, ya fell for it again, your fluffy ears are now mine!"_

" _You're so weird, Uncle D, and I love you. Now I really gotta go, le'go! Heh, please don't tell mom I'm late for homeroom? Seeya later!"_

* * *

 _-Goldie's POV-_

He laughed at all the right moments and grimaced at all of the wrong moments. He was very aware of the rabbit next to him also doing the same, but his flopped ears and strained smile told Goldie he was still thinking about what had happened earlier. Well, to be honest Goldie was sure all of them who had witnessed it were too. Only Foxy, Alfred, and Bonsai seemed to truly be enjoying the (really bad) movie.

It had been such a strange interaction. Goldie had quickly picked up on what had set Spring off; the lady's smile and peppy attitude once she realized who he was. It had taken him a moment longer to actually register the woman's words; "what a horrible way to go." "Paid the price _._ " She had been talking about their deaths.

She had been smiling and talking about the way Spring's parents had died.

Goldie could understand Spring's reaction. He wouldn't have reacted well if someone spoke that way about his brothers dying, either.

Some of her words, though, really stuck in Goldie's mind.

"Their own best friend." "Just goes to show you need to be careful who you trust." "And so soon after you lost everything else." Had that been a reference to his accident? And what had she been saying when Spring shouted at her?

That was something else. Spring had _shouted_ and _cursed_. He had been truly upset and angry in a way that Goldie hadn't expected. Granted he had known the rabbit less than a week, but he hadn't expected that kind of reaction at all. It had seemed so foreign on the normally soft-spoken rabbit.

But back to the point- the woman's words were strange. It sounded like… their deaths hadn't been some mere accident. As if… as if they…

 _Their own best friend, even._

As if their deaths hadn't been by mere chance. As if it wasn't natural...

 _Just goes to show you need to be careful who you trust._

As if… as if… He sat up a bit straighter, his eyes widening. The rabbit next to him gave him a strange look but Goldie didn't pay it any attention; he had just realized something, something very horrible, something that changed a lot of things, something that explained everything else.

 _Shame what happened to them. What a horrible way to go- their own best friend, even! Just goes to show you need to be careful who you trust. They trusted the wrong person and they paid the price._

Spring's hesitance to talk about his parents- his hesitance to talk about his past at all. The ripped picture and the tenseness when the ripped figure was mentioned. His natural distrust of anyone new- his reluctance to get close to anyone. The distance he was still keeping between himself and everyone else. The way he always seemed alert to everything happening around him, the way he seemed almost depressed, the way Hugh and Natalie worried about him, his inability to truly make peace with his parents' deaths… It was all explained by one simple fact, one thing that Spring hadn't wanted to tell them. One thing that was never said but all signs pointed to. That one little fact that tied everything together- that little fact Goldie wished he hadn't pieced together.

Spring's parents were murdered.

* * *

Goldie didn't mention his suspicion- realization- whatever it was on the way to the restaurant. In the back, his friends were talking cheerily about the movie and how it'd be cool if they rebooted it and actually made it decent- it'd be very good if the cat and mouse's relationship wasn't treated like a complete joke, they all agreed.

Up front, Goldie was strangely silent and he was sure the others had noticed. He was focused on driving but at the same time so many thoughts were going through his head. Thoughts like… was he right? Did Spring witness it if he was? Who did it? Why hadn't he heard about it? When did it happen? What did that mean for-

"You missed the turn."

The rabbit spoke up so suddenly that Goldie jumped, startled out of his thoughts. "Huh?"

"The turn. You just missed it," Spring told him. In the back the others were still chatting, apparently not realizing that Goldie had, in fact, missed the turn. Goldie frowned a bit as he glanced at the signs.

"Well damn. Sorry," he apologized, pulling into a parking lot in order to turn around.

"You seem lost in thought," the rabbit observed. Goldie noticed he was keeping his voice soft. It took him a moment to realize that the friends in the back couldn't hear Spring's quiet words over their own talking. It was like a private conversation using the noise as a barrier. "You're thinking about earlier."

"So are you," Goldie pointed out, turning left where he should have turned earlier. "But I'm sure you're not nearly as confused about it as I am."

"I'd assume not…" Spring agreed with a frown which Goldie only glimpsed from the corner of his eye. "You should… stop thinking about it. It's… it's not important." That was a lie.

"Ya don't need to lie to me, y'know," Goldie told him, his own voice soft now. He glanced up in the rearview mirror to see Bonnie's magenta eyes watching them; clearly he could hear their conversation with his superior rabbit hearing. He was sure Bonsai could, too, if the blue rabbit wasn't currently being "assaulted" by a red fox. "I'm not gonna snoop around if that's what you're worried about," he added, his eyes back on the road.

"You're not?" The rabbit sounded suspicious and unsure but now Goldie wasn't sure he could blame him. He wasn't sure he would trust someone at face value, either.

"Of course, what kind'a friend would that make me if I did?" He questioned, hardly even noticing his use of the word "friend." It had slipped so naturally and he couldn't exactly take it back. "If you're ever ready to talk, you'll talk, but hey, until then it's none of my business, right?" Despite his burning curiosity, of course, but a brief glance over at the rabbit showed that he had said the right thing. Spring's ears were flopped behind them, like they had been ever since the movie began, but he had a small, relieved smile on his face. Whatever had happened was obviously something the rabbit didn't want them finding out about themselves. He felt only slightly guilty that he had already, supposedly, pieced a base part of it together.

"Thanks…" the golden rabbit trailed, turning his own eyes back towards the road. Goldie pulled into the restaurant parking lot and glanced in the rearview mirror again. Bonnie was still watching them, though his face was turned towards Freddy.

"Hey freaks of nature, we're here!" He called, putting as much cheer into his grin as possible. Foxy, of course, whooped and unfastened his belt before anyone else could respond.

"Awesome, I'm hungry!" He cackled. Mike grinned and pointedly didn't move to get up as Freddy and Bonnie slid out of their seats and the vehicle, leaning back against the fox's legs. "Uh… Mikey? Mikey? C'mon, Mikey, I'm starvin' here!"

Goldie laughed and jumped out of the driver's side. "Go on, Mike, keep the beast at bay!"

"No, Mike, don't, we're back here too!" Alfred complained, reaching over to poke the dark-haired human. Mike snickered before finally getting up, but Bonsai was quicker to the punch than Foxy was; he bounded out after Mike, grinning.

"I win!" Bonsai cheered, sticking his tongue out at the fox and bear behind him.

"No!" Both predators cried out in mock-horror.

"Beaten by a wee rabbit!" Foxy added, earning a snort from Bonnie and Freddy as he leapt out. "What shame I've brought upon the Fox name!"

Goldie grinned and looked over at Spring, who looked appropriately amused by Goldie's friends' antics. "Ya get used to it," he told the rabbit as he hit the lock button on his keynob.

"No I won't, then lunacy would become the norm for me," Spring shot back with a small smile. Goldie snorted and followed the more energetic trio of Foxy, Bonsai, and Alfred. "I do question how any of you live with them, though," he added teasingly.

"Hmm, the key is to always have a way to-" he cut himself off, frowning. He was going to joke about always being ready to kill one of them if need be but maybe that wasn't in very good taste with the rabbit. "They're like children, just gotta learn to deal," he said instead, pretending not to notice the way Spring raised a brow.

"Uh huh…" Spring's gaze shifted over to Mike. Goldie looked at the human to see he was in the middle of a hand gesture. "Really? Well, I guess that's one way to keep a rowdy fox at bay," the rabbit laughed softly.

"What'd he just say?" Bonnie asked curiously, eyeing Mike suspiciously.

"He just said that he lives with the fox by booby-trapping the room," Spring answered with a shrug. Goldie's ear twitched, noticing the distance phrasing, but he didn't bring it up. None of the others did either.

"Oh yeah," Bonnie snickered, exchanging an amused look with Freddy's slightly-exasperated one. "Mike has some awesome skills in keeping that fox out of trouble."

"By getting him into trouble," Freddy sighed, shaking his head. Mike laughed silently, a wide grin on his face. It was nice to see the human loosen up. It was still funner when Spring loosened up, though. But maybe he was biased; his first experience with the rabbit being relaxed was after an exhausting pillow fight during an intense prank-planning session, so…

"Pole," Spring's voice called a moment before he smacked face-first into a pole, much to the amusement of his now-laughing friends. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Oww!" Goldie whined, rubbing his sore muzzle. He glanced at his laughing friends. "Couldn't have warned me a little sooner?" He complained to the rabbit who simply shrugged in response.

"I hope you're not zonin' out like that while you're drivin'," Freddy admonished, pulling the door open for them. Foxy, Bonsai, and Alfred were waiting in the front for them. "I don't fancy gettin' caught in a wreck in my second year of college, Gold."

"Oh please, I don't zone out," Goldie scoffed. The others gave him a look, Freddy gesturing to the pole behind them with a raised brow. Goldie pouted. "Well, not while I'm drivin'!"

Spring and Bonnie both gave him a look, reminding Goldie that the two of them had, in fact, noticed he'd zoned out on the road. Never a good thing to do, mind you, so he couldn't exactly feel irritated at their concern or irritation, whichever emotion those looks conveyed. Neither rabbit spoke up, however, and let Alfred tell the door greeter that they needed a table for eight.

As they followed the host to a large corner booth, Foxy and Bonsai debated on what was better; pirates or ninjas. Every now and then Alfred would add fuel to the fire by offering his own opinion, and then Bonnie dumped oil on it by claiming that witches were _obviously_ much better than both, thank you very much. Goldie himself didn't fan the flames as he thought they were all pretty stupid.

"Here here," he heard Spring mumble and a glance over at him showed the rabbit was speaking to Mike again. The two of them seemed to get along almost naturally well. Goldie didn't know if he should feel proud that Mike was able to get on with the rabbit or jealous that he didn't have to go through the awkward part he himself did.

Once they were seated- Foxy immediately dragging Mike and Alfred to sit on either side of him with his back towards the corner, Bonsai beside Alfred, Bonnie across from Bonsai with Freddy next to him, and Goldie next to Bonsai with Spring beside him- the menus were passed around to each of them. It would have been a tight fit if Bonsai and Mike weren't both small and Spring hadn't been so thin (something Goldie only really just noticed) and if the friends had anything against getting in each other's personal space. However, as the only person who didn't seem to want to get too close to anyone was Spring, who was already sitting with his hip almost touching Goldie's anyway, they all managed to fit at the booth, none of them feeling all that uncomfortable... except maybe Mike and Bonsai, who were both still relatively strangers.

Being friends since childhood tended to have that effect, honestly.

Goldie grinned as he watched Bonnie and Freddy fight over a menu, ignoring the one that was already sitting on the table in front of the purple rabbit, and glanced at Spring. Spring was gazing down at the menu, leaning on his left hand while his right lightly tapped the table; the sound was lost among the noise of his friends and other patrons in the restaurant but Goldie could imagine he heard it anyway.

"Tap tap," he chuckled, getting the rabbit's attention. Spring's green eyes looked up at him, blinking owlishly. Goldie mimicked his hand movement and the rabbit's eyes trailed down to his own hand. Instead of stilling it like Goldie expected him to do, though, he just gave a small grin and continued, consciously, to do it. "Oh ya wanna play like that, huh?" Goldie snorted, meeting the rabbit's challenging gaze.

"Play?" Spring asked innocently, his ears twitching. They were standing up again; that was a good sign. "I dunno what you're talking about." His voice was sweet and innocent but the gleam in his eyes was mischievous, lively. This was an expression Goldie could relate to the rabbit child in the photograph.

"Oh, ya don't, huh?" Goldie drawled, grinning at the rabbit. The rabbit gave a minute shake of his head, giving Goldie the most innocent smile he could muster. It was oddly effective. If Goldie hadn't been maintaining eye contact with the rabbit he might have fallen for the innocent charade.

The menu completely forgotten in favor of their game, Goldie reached out and grabbed the rabbit's hand, forcing it to still and pressing it flat against the table. He gave a smug little grin to the rabbit but the rabbit still didn't back down; the challenge remained in his eyes though his hand was motionless, the fur soft and warm under Goldie's. They both knew stilling his hand hadn't been the endgame. If anything it was just the beginning of a ridiculous, childish little game that neither of them even knew the rules to. "Aw, what's wrong?" Spring teased, his innocent smile morphing into a slight smirk. It looked foreign on the rabbit but... not wrong. "Is the teddy bear annoyed by a little tapping?"

Goldie almost slipped up and laughed at that but he managed to keep his smug air about him, keeping his hazel eyes on the rabbit's green. "You wound me," he responded with a mock sniff. "I just think ya shouldn't attack the table, bunny."

The rabbit's lip twitched; he almost laughed. Goldie felt almost victorious. "Aw but why not? It's so much fun."

"If you two are done flirting, can we order?" Bonnie's voice interrupted with a snicker, disrupting the game. Both gold-furred creatures blinked and looked over at Goldie's friend, who seemed to be the only one to notice their game as Freddy was now intently reading his menu.

"What?" They chorused, Goldie adding a disbelieving, "flirting?" as an afterthought.

Bonnie's eyes flicked down to their hands. Both Goldie and Spring followed the gaze; Goldie's hand was still laying over Spring's on the table. It had been an innocent, playful gesture for the two of them- it hadn't even occurred to them what that would look like from the outside looking in. Quickly, Goldie lifted his hand away. "We're not flirtin'," he huffed towards Bonnie, rolling his eyes.

"We hardly know each other," Spring added. His hand looked for a moment like it would resume its nervous tapping but the rabbit consciously stopped it, his gaze shifting around.

"We were just messin'," Goldie added with a displeased frown. He wasn't happy that their game had been interrupted and made awkward.

"Don't get so defensive, I was just teasin' y'all," Bonnie chuckled, shaking his head.

Goldie stuck his tongue out. "Go back to flirtin' with Freddy," he snarked. "Maybe he'll finally catch on." Maybe that was a little cruel; Goldie had noticed during their first year that the "easter couple" as they were so fondly dubbed had begun flirting with his brother. Using that against the rabbit probably wasn't the nicest thing to do. However, Bonnie just gave him a grin and a wink.

"Maybe," he agreed, turning his gaze back to his own menu. "Maybe not."

"Maybe not what?" Freddy asked, oblivious to the conversation that had just happened in front of him.

"Nothin', Freddy, nothin'."

Goldie and Spring exchanged embarrassed expressions, Goldie's own tinged with shame, before they turned their attention back to their menus. The game was off for now.

However, Goldie did feel slightly victorious; he had made progress, after all, and he had seen a side of the rabbit that he knew very few people saw. And he didn't even have the excuse of being tired and mentally-impaired to hide behind this time. Spring had loosened up just enough for them to play around like kids again.

He had treated Goldie like a friend.

 **End Arc IV**


	16. Arc V, Part I

**A/N** : Hey guys, I know I don't normally do A/Ns at the front of arc chapters, but I don't have an Extras written out yet. I apologize for the long wait but the last few months have been hard on me. I don't have writer's block (actually, I have a million ideas that I just don't have time for) but something did happen that has made me physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted so writing hasn't been a priority. I'm _really_ sorry, but updates might be a bit sporadic until it's all cleared up!

(Also I apologize if it's not up to par, this is the first thing I've written since the last time this story updated I am so sorry...)

* * *

" _Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."_

Victor Hugo

* * *

 **Arc V, Part I**

 **Knock Knock, Hell's Here**

Sunday morning was met very unhappily as Goldie felt himself being _literally_ dragged out of bed.

"Up up!"

Letting out a groan, he opened his eyes to find his youngest brother leaning over him, a sharp frown on his face. "Alfred, what the hell…"

"Goldie, our parents'll be here in _ten minutes_."

The words rang but did not register in Goldie's mind as he stared, blankly, at his brother from his spot on the floor. "Huh…?"

"Oh my god," Alfred sighed, "ya didn't honestly forget, did ya? Mother and father are comin' to visit _today_ and you're not even dressed!"

Several more seconds of silence passed before Goldie's eyes widened, horror making its way into his heart. "Wait- mom and dad are comin' _today?!_ "

"Yes!"

"I thought that was next weekend!" he cried, scrambling to his feet. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was barely past 8:30 AM, and Spring's bed across the room was neatly made... aside from several sketchbooks that had been left abandoned on top.

Although Goldie had hoped to spend more time with the rabbit that day, he really didn't want to subject his new friend to his stuck-up, pish-posh, nothing-is-good-enough parents. "Oh god this is bad!"

"You're tellin' me?! Dammit, Goldie- hurry up, they're just outside of Preston! Ya've got less than ten minutes to get ready," Alfred warned as he headed out the door.

With an aggravated sigh, Goldie yanked his drawers open and pulled out one of his barely-worn polo shirts and slacks. He didn't like his parents but _damned_ if he'd let the first words they say be a criticism towards _him._

Of course, like hell would he let them criticize either of his brothers or any of his friends.

 _They have no right._

There was no time for a shower, so instead he stripped his nightclothes off and quickly pulled the semi-formal clothes on, and then he grabbed his brush off of his side table. He tugged it through the thick tangle of fur on his head, trying to get it at least decent- _it'll never be good enough-_ before putting his hat on.

Once this was done, he pulled on a simple pair of black socks and his shoes- _not polished-_ and then he was out the door.

Alfred was waiting for him in the common room, a scowl in place as he stared at the silent television. "I hate this," he growled, glancing up at Goldie. "We're nineteen now, there's absolutely no reason they need to come check on us or whatever."

"You know how they are," Goldie sighed, walking over to his youngest triplet. "They'll keep doing this until we graduate and disappear."

"We shouldn't _have_ to _disappear_ to get them off our backs," Alfred told him, his voice strained. Clearly he was trying not to yell for Marion's sake, as the human had probably already turned in to sleep. "It's not like they even actually _care_ about us…"

"It'll be okay, Al," Goldie assured him, laying a hand on the shorter bear's shoulder. "Let's go meet up with Freddy and go wait for our _dear_ parents, I guess."

The younger huffed and shrugged Goldie's hand off before heading to the door, and all Goldie could do was watch. He felt for his brother, he really did; their parents were harsh on Goldie, but Alfred… well, if they would acknowledge _any_ of his accomplishments, even to say "you could do better," Goldie would probably die of shock.

Sighing, Goldie pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Spring's contact (it, surprisingly, hadn't taken too long to convince the golden rabbit to give him his number the night before, despite Spring pointing out that they literally lived together this year). He quickly sent a text warning to the rabbit, informing him of the Fazbear parents' arrival, and then he slid the phone back into his pocket again.

After several seconds of silent debate, he followed Alfred out of the room to find Freddy standing with him in the hallway. They were speaking quietly, Freddy's voice gentle as he said his piece. Goldie could only imagine what they were talking about.

"So," he spoke up once his younger brothers finished their quiet conversation, "we ready to piss some folks off unintentionally?"

"Not helping," Freddy sighed, glancing at the ceiling. "But yes. Let's go, they'll only be here until three."

Goldie made a face but followed the brown bears down the hall, sliding his hands into the pocket of his slacks. A quick scan of both brothers showed that they were dressed similarly- in fact, almost identically- to Goldie himself, the difference being their chosen polo colours.

Where Goldie had chosen violet, Freddy had chosen blue and Alfred had chosen red.

 _Oh my god,_ he thought, almost amused, _this was_ not _intentional. Damn, we actually_ look _like triplets now._

The walk across campus towards the guest parking lot, in front of the administrative building, was silent and tense. Around them, scattered over the lawn, other students threw frisbees or studied. Most people were smiling, some were laughing, but very few looked as miserable as Goldie felt.

Down by the lake, a golden rabbit sat beneath a tree. Goldie wanted to go over and say good morning, but he knew if they weren't there to meet their parents there would be hell to pay.

 _Actually,_ he mused, tearing his eyes away from his roommate and friend, _there already will be. Pretty sure those ten minutes passed a long time ago…_

A quick glance towards the "campus circuit," as he had taken to calling the road circling around the school and leading to the parking lots, showed no incoming cars, so quickly they crossed over to the administration building. His heart sunk somewhat as his parents, waiting impatiently (he could tell by the way his father kept checking his new watch, the way his mother tapped her impossibly-highheeled shoe), came into view around the building.

His mother wore a typical black that _almost_ reached her knees, her dark stockings making up the rest, and his father wore a simple suit that was _much_ too formal and heavy for late August. Each of them was impeccably done up, not a fur out of place.

Just the sight of them made Goldie feel flawed, and considering how _highly_ Goldie liked to think of himself…

"Well it's about time," were the first words out of the beautiful bear mother's mouth, and Goldie's eyes naturally fell to the ground. He didn't drop his head, though; he _refused_ to let them bring him down to that level.

"Apologies," Freddy told them, his own voice devoid of any real emotion.

"Oh, it's alright, Freddy," their father chuckled, shaking his head. Goldie scowled. "I'm sure you tried. Now why are you three late?"

"Lost track of time," Freddy put in, and Goldie was glad he didn't tell them the truth; _Goldie forgot and overslept._

The shitstorm _that_ would cause was one none of them wanted to go through… again.

"Well, come on," Mrs. Fazbear started, her smile collected but the annoyance clear in her bright blue eyes. "Show us to your dorms."

"Right," Goldie sighed, turning around. With his back to his parents, he rolled his eyes. Alfred, who had somehow ended up behind him, had to turn to hide his amused smile. "Back across campus again."

"You should have just picked us up," Mr. Fazbear declared, but then he added, "Then again, I wouldn't want to ride in that van you chose. Such poor taste."

Goldie grit his teeth.

"Hands out of your pockets, Frederick, and stand up straight, people will think you a slob if you stand that way."

 _Better a slob than a snob._

"Alfred, straighten your hat, a proper gentleman-"

"So, mother and father," Alfred interrupted through grit teeth, "How are Feliks, Frieda, and Fray?"

"Don't interrupt someone when they're talking," Mr. Fazbear immediately reprimanded.

"And they're fine," was Mrs. Fazbear's clipped response. Freddy gave a soft sigh and shared a look with Goldie, but Goldie couldn't care less that their parents were angry and just shrugged. "They're all learning violin now," she added, sounding almost accusing. Goldie bit his tongue, resisting the urge to point out Alfred already _mastered_ violin years before.

Alfred snorted derisively, but he chose not to speak up about it. "Good on them," he muttered instead. Goldie rolled his eyes and glanced down towards the lake again.

Spring wasn't there anymore. Goldie just hoped he was at the art building and not back in their dorm- he _really_ didn't want to subject his roommate to his parents, after all.

"Frederick Fazbear, are you listening to me?!"

"Huh?" Goldie blinked and turned to look at his mother. She was frowning at him, her sharp eyes critical. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking how you were doing in your classes," she repeated, tone harsh and angry. Clearly the Fazbear matriarch was _not_ happy that he had tuned out.

"I'm doing fine," he answered vaguely, turning to look at the approaching dormhouse. He pointedly ignored his parents' aggravation. "It's only been one week, you know, it's not like anything's _really_ been graded."

"Irrelevant," Mr. Fazbear dismissed, clearly uninterested. Alfred reached the door first and opened it, holding it open for the rest of the family. The triplets' parents didn't hesitate to walk straight through the door, not even giving their son a "thank you" or acknowledgement. Goldie scowled and shared an annoyed look with his younger twins. "Which one of you will be writing the winter show?"

"What?" Alfred raised a brow, letting the door swing shut behind himself. "It's only been a week and there are a hundred people in the program-"

"When I attended here I wrote the winter show's songs every year," Mr. Fazbear interrupted, making his way over to the elevator. "You should already know."

"That's not how it works anymore, father," Freddy sighed, shaking his head as they waited for the elevator. When the doors opened, a few students that Goldie didn't recognize slipped out and the Fazbears all stepped in. Goldie pushed the "3" button. Feeling somewhat annoyed that they were using the elevator at all.

It would be different if they were on the fifth or sixth floor, but they weren't. They were on the third, and they were all physically able.

"Irrelevant," their father responded, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm sure you'll do great on the show, Freddy."

Freddy let out a tired sigh and shared a look with Goldie, and all the golden bear could do was shrug uselessly.

When the doors opened, Goldie quickly stepped out and headed towards Freddy's room.

"Who are your roommates this year, Freddy?" he heard their parents question as Freddy pulled his key out and unlocked the door.

"Bonnie and Foxy," Freddy answered simply. "And someone named Mike."

Their parents hummed somewhat in disapproval but they refrained from making any comments as they stepped into the dorm.

The television was on. Goldie peeked around his parents to see Foxy sitting, upside down, on the couch, remote in hand, and Mike lounging on the other end of the couch, laptop open on his knees. Both students looked up as the family of bears stepped in.

It took Foxy a moment to really register what was going on and when he did, he quickly and swiftly flipped himself rightside up, giving them his best innocent grin. "Mr. and Mrs. Fazbear, how nice to see you again!" he greeted chipperly, but Goldie caught the wary undertone.

The Fazbears had never approved of Foxy or Vixy.

Mike raised a brow at them as Alfred closed the door behind them. "Right," Mrs. Fazbear agreed slowly, undoubtedly watching Foxy, unimpressed. She turned her attention to Mike. "And you are?" she asked distastefully and Goldie frowned.

Their human friend wasn't exactly neat and tidy; he was wearing an old, somewhat-ratty T-shirt that looked _very_ comfortable and his black hair looked like it hadn't seen a brush all weekend. He was also very noticeably barefoot.

"This is Mike Schmidt," Freddy introduced for Mike so that the human wouldn't have to run and get his notebook. "He's rooming with Foxy, if you must know."

"A human rooming with Animals," Mr. Fazbear muttered, sharing a look with his wife. "What has this school stooped to?"

Goldie scowled and Mike raised a brow. Alfred looked at him apologetically, but there was nothing they could really say. Mike just shrugged in response.

"Let's see your room then, Freddy," Mrs. Fazbear moved on, turning her gaze away from the "lesser" students. Freddy rolled his eyes but led their parents to the door on the left that he shared with Bonnie.

As Freddy and the parents disappeared into Freddy's room, Goldie dropped down on the second couch with an aggravated sigh. "Sorry about that, guys," he apologized to Foxy and Mike.

"Used to it," Foxy told him carelessly, shrugging. "That's normal for the Fazbears," the fox informed their human friend. Mike shrugged and nodded slightly to indicate he understood.

"Being used to it doesn't make it okay," Alfred sighed. "How much you wanna bet they're still gonna demand to see my room, despite the fact Marion's probably asleep?"

That was when Goldie remembered something _very_ horrible.

"Oh my god," Goldie suddenly groaned, slapping his hands across his face. "They're gonna _freak_ when they see our dorm!"

It took a moment for the words to really register, but when they sunk in Alfred's eyes widened. "The tarp!" he gasped, slapping a hand to his forehead. "The tarp's still on the floor and still messed up with colourin' and stuff..."

"And mine and Spring's room ain't much better- Spring's got sketchbooks scattered all over his side of the room," Goldie sighed, dropping his hands and glancing towards the ceiling. "I dunno how that keeps happenin' either. They're _so_ gonna lecture us, Al."

"They won't like Marion's curtains, either," Alfred added, fidgeting with his hands and glancing towards Freddy's room. They could just barely make out a snide remark about Bonnie's side of the room being messy. "Not enough natural light. They'll say it's too drab..."

"Tell 'em to suck it," Foxy huffed, scowling slightly. "It ain't their house."

"Ya've no idea how much I'd _love_ to tell 'em," Goldie snorted, but he quickly shut his mouth as their parents and brother returned.

Freddy looked more than a little pissed off.

"Alright," Mrs. Fazbear sighed, looking at Goldie and Alfred. "Your turn."

Feeling almost like he was walking to the gallows, Goldie stood up and left the dorm, giving a brief wave to Foxy and Mike. Foxy threw back a salute.

"Goldie and I aren't rooming together," Alfred muttered briefly as the eldest triplet unlocked their door, agitation clear in his tone. Goldie understood the feeling, of course; they were both eighteen, their parents shouldn't be inspecting their rooms.

"Why not?"

"Because we didn't want to," Goldie huffed, ignoring the wary look Freddy gave him. "We live together at home, we can live separately if we want to." Not that they _actually_ wanted to. As much as Goldie couldn't share a _room_ with either of his brothers, he would probably _die_ before he lived away from them.

"Don't take that tone with me," his father started warningly, but Goldie paid him no mind as he pushed the door open.

Immediately his eyes met the surprised green of Spring's and he paused, taking in the rabbit's appearance. The rabbit was standing by the couch, in front of the tackboard on the couch, and he had _several_ charcoal marks on his fur and his clothes, his hands almost completely blackened by the medium.

It didn't complement the pink-stained fur very well.

If his parents weren't standing right behind him, Goldie would have started laughing and made a joke of some kind. At that moment, however, he could only hope his parents _keep their freakin' mouths shut..._

"Oh... I didn't know you'd be here today..." Spring mumbled, eyes trailing over Goldie's shoulder towards the shocked faces of his parents.

"Who's this?" Mrs. Fazbear hissed to him, but Spring's ears twitched, telling Goldie that he _clearly_ heard.

Goldie didn't know whether to be delighted or mortified that Spring was apparently having _none_ of the Fazbears' shit, raising a brow towards the elder two bears and carelessly crossing his arms, leaning his weight on his left leg. Somehow he looked both sassy and _very_ unimpressed at the same time.

(Goldie decided that he wouldn't tell Spring that he had just thought of him as sassy.)

"Springtrap Franks," he deadpanned, frowning towards the family of bears. Goldie chose to not clarify on the name; he had a feeling Spring used "Springtrap" on purpose. "If you want to know someone's name, you should ask _them,_ not someone else."

"He's my roommate," Goldie informed his parents, grinning slightly. _'You tell 'em, Springy-boy.'_

"He's a mess," Mrs. Fazbear noted disdainfully, not even bothering to keep her voice down.

"No he ain't, he's an artist," Alfred shot back, frowning at his parents.

"Clearly," Goldie sniffed mock-haughtily, rolling his eyes at his parents, and he grinned slightly when Spring chuckled. His parents didn't get the joke. "What'cha got there, Spring?" he asked, directing his gaze towards the tack board.

Hanging there, pinned in a way that the tacks did not actually puncture the page, was a rather large and heavy-looking sheet of paper, the subject drawn completely in black and white. It was a portrait of a person that Goldie only recognized from the photograph sitting on Spring's bedside table.

From the waist up, the portrait showed a rabbit- male this time- with a wide, toothy grin giving the viewer a friendly wave. Somehow Spring had managed to catch the mischievous _spark_ in the rabbit's eyes. Even in black and white, Goldie recognized the energy and excitement behind the subject's gaze. He looked like someone whose smiles were contagious- the kind of person you would never, even in a million years, forget.

Someone you could love and rely on forever.

 _Edmund Franks,_ he realized, looking back towards Spring. His golden-furred friend barely glanced at him, clearly realizing Goldie would have figured it out already.

"A portrait," Spring answered vaguely, turning his gaze away back towards the drawing.

Mr. Fazbear brushed past Goldie, despite having not actually been invited in, and looked at the portrait. When he spoke, he sounded _almost_ impressed. "Quite a talent," he complimented simply, silently scanning over the rabbit's work.

Goldie wasn't sure whether to be proud or jealous. He decided he didn't care enough to be either; he already knew Spring was talented, after all, his father noticing didn't change anything.

"Thank you," Spring mumbled, not looking at any of them. Clearly he wasn't actually too grateful for the Fazbear patriarch's compliment.

"Why is there a tarp on the floor?" Mrs. Fazbear complained the moment she stepped into the room, the silver covering crinkling under her heel. "Impractical and ugly!"

 _And here's the part I was so not looking forward to..._

Goldie's eyes met Spring's again, but before either Goldie or Alfred could actually explain to their parents about the prank, Spring said, "It's to protect the carpet."

All three bear triplets just stared at Spring.

The rabbit lifted his hands, as if to emphasize the fact that they were messy, and turned his gaze towards Goldie's parents again. "Don't have time to deal with paint or charcoal stains."

He was lying. Spring was boldfaced _lying_ to Goldie's parents and there was absolutely _no trace_ that he was being anything but honest- no fidget, no nervous glance away, nothing. If Goldie hadn't known better, he might have actually _believed_ the rabbit.

While the Fazbear parents seemed to accept the answer easily enough, Goldie shared a shocked look with his brothers. Even Freddy seemed gobsmacked by the lie.

Every time Spring had even _attempted_ to simply _skirt around_ the truth with Goldie or the others, it had been so obvious.

' _So why can you look my parents in the eye and flat-out lie?'_

"Thoughtful, actually," Mr. Fazbear commented to his wife. "But definitely bothersome."

"No more bothersome than vacuuming and shampooing the carpet every weekend," Spring muttered, turning back to his portrait.

Finally, Goldie seemed to recover from his shock at Spring lying so very confidently to Marjorie and Frederick Fazbear and saving him and Alfred from a lecture, blinking towards the rabbit. Spring was staring intently towards the portrait of his father, shoulders tensed and posture stiff, eyes steely. He realized that the rabbit was _incredibly_ uncomfortable and somewhat agitated.

The presence of Goldie's parents was more than unwelcome and unwanted; it was _resented_.

 _I need to get them away from Spring,_ he silently noted to himself, sharing a look with Alfred. Alfred, seeming to understand what Goldie was requesting, simply shrugged and then waved his hand, as if saying _go on then, get a move on._

Bracing himself, he turned back to his parents, both of whom seemed to be studying the portrait rather intently. It was strange, to say the least; Goldie wasn't aware that they had any interest whatsoever in the visual arts.

Either way, their presence was disturbing Spring so they needed to be removed as quickly as possible.

"Okay, so, um, shall we see the rooms?" Goldie asked, clapping his hands to get his parents attention before heading towards his room. As he passed, he gave Spring an apologetic look. His parents actually seemed to be alright with Spring's apparent "messy state" since he was an artist, so maybe they'd even forgive his half of the room for that same reason, but they were clearly agitating the rabbit and Goldie did not want to subject his roommate to them longer than necessary.

Spring was not impressed but he just shrugged to Goldie, as if saying _not your fault._ Goldie felt like it was.

He pulled the door open, waiting for his parents to go through.

However, his parents hadn't followed him at all. Goldie turned around, impatient; they were still standing in front of the portrait, studying it and giving each other strange, unidentifiable looks, apparently not even concerned with Spring watching them in confusion and displeasure. Then Goldie's mother turned to Spring, oddly blank-faced, and Goldie suddenly had a bad feeling.

Because now he remembered something _very_ important; his parents had attended that very same school. They had the best memories of their lives there, or so they claimed, and had a wide range of friends that they never kept contact with after graduation; they knew everyone in the music program.

They attended the Preston College of Arts twenty-three years ago...

... The same time Spring's parents did.

 _They recognize him._

"Is this a portrait of... Edmund Roberts?"


	17. Arc V, Part II

**A/N:** Sorry for another author's note, but this is important. Springtrap Prime will be using what I wrote of the _original_ SSSfM, and they have my express and written permission to do so. They are not stealing anything, they approached me and asked permission, and I have given it. Just wanted to make that clear, thank you!

* * *

 _Edmund Roberts?_

There were several moments of tense silence before Spring gave a jerky nod. "Yes," he added, his voice suddenly, uncharacteristically cold.

 _Roberts?_ Goldie's mind just sort of blanked out; wasn't it Franks?

Edmund Franks?

"I remember Edmund," Mr. Fazbear muttered, looking towards the portrait again. "Talented musician, big plans. Was a lot of talk, but at least he had the drive to support it. I wonder whatever happened to him after graduation..."

"How do _you_ know Edmund Roberts, anyway?" Mrs. Fazbear suddenly asked, looking at Spring strangely.

"Mom, dad," Goldie started, but Spring cut him off with, "I'm his son."

The silence was rather awkward; Spring's flat, clipped tone clearly said _'this conversation is becoming dangerous and I'm going to pitch a fit if you keep at it'_ and Goldie _seriously_ wanted to tell his parents to drop it.

Unfortunately, the Fazbear parents tended to disregard other people's comfort. "Ah, so he did marry that Elaine girl after all," Mrs. Fazbear hummed, sharing a displeased look with her husband. "A shame, really."

Instantly Spring's ears flattened and his jaw tightened, eyes narrowing at the Fazbears. _Oh no._ Goldie had seen him distraught and mad, but he _really_ didn't want to see him _angry._ And, from what he knew about Spring's relationship with his parents, insulting his mother was _not_ a good idea.

"What's so wrong about that?" Spring questioned, his tone _very clearly_ stating that there _is_ a wrong answer to the question.

The fact that the question was being asked in the first place was bad enough.

"Oh, Elaine Franks," Mr. Fazbear sighed and shook his head, completely ignoring Spring's tone. "She's the one who advocated for equal rights for cross-special relationships, isn't she? Held a rally every year."

Goldie looked desperately towards his brothers for help, but both of them looked as helpless as he felt. None of them could shut their parents up and they knew it.

"There's nothing wrong with cross-special relationships," Spring grit out between clenched teeth, watching Goldie's parents with what Goldie could only describe as a hostile gaze. _This is going horribly. And here I thought they could remain somewhat okay._

"And she's passed it on to you," Mrs. Fazbear sighed. "What a shame. I take it she's still advocating for equal rights? Probably dragged her husband into it, too. Disgusting."

"Mother," Freddy started, but she continued speaking anyway, completely ignoring her favoured son.

"And I wonder how many kids she had. Hm? Well, how many? She always said she wanted many, typical of rabbits- ironic, isn't it, that she'd want six or seven when she's advocating against stereotypes and such," she added with a scoff, rolling her eyes.

Spring _growled._

"Mom, dad, that's enough!" Goldie hissed, stepping towards them. "You don't even know what you're talking about. Twenty years is a _hell_ of a long time."

"Language, Frederick," Mr. Fazbear immediately admonished. "And clearly nothing's changed, if their son is anything to go by. Why, maybe we should-"

"They're dead."

Goldie winced at the hiss and glanced over at Spring. He was glaring harshly at the Fazbear parents, both of whom immediately fell silent at the words. "For your information," Spring started, his voice wavering slightly with barely-contained rage, "Elaine and Edmund _Franks_ died five years ago. _Thank you_ for talking _trash_ about my _dead parents_ to me."

With that, the golden rabbit turned on his heel and stalked over to the door. He threw one last glare back at Mr. and Mrs. Fazbear and said, _"Goldie_ is right, you don't know _anything._ " He yanked the door open, careless of the charcoal getting on the silver knob, and with no regard to the sleeping human in the dorm, he slammed it behind him.

The bears all winced.

The silence in the room was heavy. For a moment, Goldie hopes his parents understood what they just did.

"That kid needs an attitude adjustment."

 _Well there goes that._

"What?!" Alfred immediately shrieked, whipping around to stare at their parents. "An _attitude adjustment?!_ You just insulted his parents _to his face_ , and then you insulted his _beliefs!_ And you're not even apologetic about talking ill of the _dead?!_ What the _fuck_ do you mean _he_ needs an attitude adjustment?!"

"Alfred," Mr. Fazbear started warningly, eying the youngest triplet. Goldie had a bad feeling and quickly walked back over to them. He wanted to keep Alfred from doing anything... dangerous.

"No!" Alfred continued, either unaware or uncaring of the danger he was putting himself in. "No, I've had it up to _here_ with you two! You could at least _pretend_ you feel bad! At least _pretend_ their lives meant _anything at all to you!"_

Goldie looked at Freddy, who looked back at him with wide eyes. One thing could easily be said about this moment; _oh shit._

Alfred was upset and their parents were... not happy, to say the least. To make matters worse, neither Goldie nor Freddy knew what to do.

"Don't take that tone with us!" Mrs. Fazbear hissed, stepping towards the rosy-furred bear. "We're your parents-"

"Then why don't you _fucking act like it!"_

Before either of the elder brothers could react, Mrs. Fazbear had raised her hand and smacked Alfred right across the face, her neatly-trimmed claws leaving clear, thin marks on his cheek.

The silence that fell right then was shocked; despite everything, their parents had _never_ laid a hand on any of them. Even Mr. and Mrs. Fazbear seemed shocked at the action.

However, none of the triplets felt betrayed. Surprised, yes. Hurt, yes. Angry, _yes._ But betrayed?

No.

"I-I," Mrs. Fazbear started, staring in wide-eyed horror at the youngest triplet. "I didn't-"

"Save it," Alfred hissed, lifting his hand to cover the thin, bleeding cuts, and he backed away from them, glaring. "There's nothing you can say to take it back now. You can't take _anything_ back." And then he was gone out the door, letting it slam into the wall as he threw it open.

He didn't bother closing it again, leaving it wide open for the world to see.

"I didn't mean to," Mrs. Fazbear started, turning to Freddy, but Freddy wouldn't even look at her.

"You hit my brother," he muttered, tone cold. "That's low even for you."

Then even Freddy turned and walked out the open door, and Goldie knew he was going after Alfred.

Goldie just watched the entire scene, feeling cold. He was angry, of course- he was _livid_ , his mother had just _hit_ his little brother after all- but he felt cold and numb.

Behind him, he could hear the door to Alfred and Marion's room open.

"Sorry," he said instinctively, catching his parents' attention. However, he turned his head away to look over his shoulder towards Marion, who was standing there with a frown, hair in disarray. "For waking you, that is."

"It seems like tempers are high," Marion hummed, looking at Goldie's parents with distaste. "Alfred did warn me."

"Who are _you_?" Mr. Fazbear questioned, scowling. He was obviously displeased by the human's presence.

"Alfred's roommate," was Marion's simple answer. He didn't offer a name or anything else. "It's irreparable, but perhaps, Frederick, you can still help."

"I know," Goldie muttered, looking back towards his parents. "I need to find my brothers and friend. Try to lessen the damage _you two_ did. If you'd please _get out of our dorm,_ I'd appreciate it. You're not welcome in here." With that said, he swept right past his shocked parents and out the door.

He had a feeling his parents didn't think that Goldie and Freddy would take Alfred's side.

As childish as Alfred's outburst had been, though, he had a point. They were already stressed by their parents visiting in the _first_ place, add on top of that everything else that just happened...

Goldie sighed and took the stairs two at a time, ignoring his father calling his name, and headed out the front door, looking left and right. He already knew where Spring would be- or, he knew a few places he _might_ be- but he needed to check on his brother.

It didn't take long for him to spot Alfred and Freddy, sitting by the trees separating the two dormhouses. However, he didn't approach them; Chica, Bonnie, Bonsai, and Chick were already sitting with them, Bonsai helping him with the clawmarks on his face.

After a few moments of observing this, he moved towards them. Even if he knew Alfred had all the support he needed, _Goldie_ was the oldest brother- he needed to make sure his brothers were alright.

Alfred glanced up at him as he approached. "Did we wake Marion?" the youngest triplet asked, guilt seeping into his tone.

"It's not either of your faults," Goldie immediately answered, sitting down next to him. "They shouldn't have done that."

"No shit," Freddy growled, turning away. If Goldie thought he himself was livid, then he had no idea how to describe Freddy. Freddy, normally the calm, collected one who kept his head- _except when Foxy drops spaghetti on him-_ under high stress, looked like he was about ready to _murder_ someone.

"What exactly happened?" Bonnie asked, looking at Goldie in concern.

Taking in a breath to calm his racing heart, he summarized, "As it turns out, our parents knew Spring's parents. They didn't like his mom, said some insensitive shit right to Spring's face, and Spring informed them that his parents were dead and stormed out. Then mom said _he_ needed an attitude adjustment and Alfred flipped out. Can't say I blame him, though- dammit, _why_ are they such pieces of _garbage?_ " he groaned, tugging at his ears in frustration. "And they _still_ don't see what they did was wrong. Well, I think they know hitting Alfred was too far, but-"

" _Hitting Alfred?_ " Bonsai parroted, looking at Goldie with narrowed eyes. "You mean one of those fuckbags did _this_ to their own son?"

"I take it Alfred didn't mention that, huh," Goldie muttered, glancing at his brothers.

"Alfred and Freddy didn't tell us _anything_ ," Chica sighed, turning to her friends with a soft frown. "I'm sorry..."

"It's fine," Alfred mumbled, averting his eyes. "I shouldn't be surprised."

Goldie glanced towards the lake and the art studio on the other side. "Guys," he started as he stood up again, "I'm gonna go find Spring. He was _really_ upset..."

"We'll catch up with you later," Bonnie assured him as the others all just nodded in understanding. Bonnie's tone was clipped; he was angry, too. Of course, that was no surprise at all. Bonnie had been at odds with the Fazbear parents from day one, and his own parents since long before. This was just another reason for him to hate them.

With a nod, Goldie headed off towards the lake, but then... he had a thought.

 _Does Spring draw when he's upset?_

Truth be told, he didn't know. It seemed like something the normally-timid rabbit might do when stressed or upset; just get lost in drawing, the same way Goldie got lost in his music.

However, when a person was upset, they usually went to someone they trusted- someone who they could let their guard down around, someone with whom they could be alone. The art studio... was not a place you could be alone.

His eyes trailed over to the music building. Several seconds of silent debate passed by before he made up his mind, turning in that direction instead and making his way there, a specific destination in mind; Hugh Garrett's office.

Not many people were in the music building on a Sunday, the only exceptions being the junior and senior students who needed the studio. However, the studios were upstairs while Mr. Hugh's office was on the ground floor, so anyone in the building was nowhere near said office.

When he entered the building, he made a beeline for his instructor's office, keeping his eyes up and mumbling pleasant greetings to any of the other teachers he passed along the way. When he reached his desired location, he paused outside the door, which was shut tight. There was a light visible under the door, though, which told him that Mr. Hugh was in at the very least.

With a glance around, Goldie knocked softly on the office door. A moment or two passed before it opened, the yellow wolf standing there looking somewhat irritated. However, he didn't look irritated at Goldie's presence.

"Mr. Fazbear," he started, blinking in surprise. He put on his best imitation of a smile, but his twitching left ear and tight grip on the door gave him away. "Did you need something?"

"Ah... I was just wondering if you've seen Spring," Goldie told him, rubbing his arm nervously. He wasn't really afraid of the wolf, but now armed with the knowledge that Hugh Garrett was Natalie Roberts' husband, and Natalie Roberts was Edmund Franks' sister... and Edmund Franks was _Spring's_ father... making this wolf Spring's _uncle_... he wasn't _exactly_ sure how well the wolf would receive him if he knew what _Goldie's_ parents had just done.

"Ah..." Mr. Hugh frowned slightly, glancing back over his shoulder. It confirmed Goldie's suspicions; Spring had gone to his uncle. It was kind of sweet, Goldie mused, that even as an adult Spring knew he could rely on his uncle for support when he needed it.

Especially considering Goldie couldn't even rely on his own parents when he was a child.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Hugh started, "but he isn't-"

"It's fine," Spring's voice interrupted from behind Hugh. "He's fine..."

Mr. Hugh seemed to hesitate before shrugging and stepping aside, allowing Goldie to enter the office. Of course, Goldie was no stranger to Mr. Hugh's office- he'd been there just a few days before, after all- but he'd never actually _been_ there for more than a few seconds. He'd never really had any reason to visit the wolf's office.

It was a simple office, really; a desk, a chair behind it, with a computer and some papers sitting on top. A file cabinet sat in the corner and there was even a microwave sitting on top of it. Two chairs sat in front of the desk, and the familiar golden rabbit was curled up in the one next to the wall, a mug in hand. Whatever he was drinking was clearly warm, which didn't make sense to Goldie with it being mid-August... but he wasn't about to question it.

Spring eyed Goldie over the rim of his cup as he stepped in, and Mr. Hugh closed the door behind him. Goldie gave Spring an awkward smile before saying, "I'm... sorry about earlier. I didn't know..."

"It's not your fault," Spring told him, looking back at his cup. "Sit down, you look awkward just standing there."

 _I feel awkward, too._

Instead of voicing this, he went over to the third seat and sat down. Mr. Hugh glanced at him. "You knew Spring was here, didn't you?"

"I, uh, had a hunch," Goldie mumbled, glancing over at his roommate. This close, he could tell that the drink was hot chocolate. Where the rabbit got hot chocolate from Goldie would never be able to guess, but he was at least half sure Mr. Hugh had something to do with it. Speaking of...

He wasn't really sure how to act with Mr. Hugh there, especially considering how obvious Mr. Hugh made it that he was _not_ happy. Goldie couldn't blame him.

"I know you said your parents were terrible," Spring spoke up quietly, eyes trained on his drink, "but I wasn't expecting that."

"I wasn't either," Goldie admitted guiltily, glancing aside. "Hard to believe they're even worse than I've thought, huh?"

"You didn't... mention that they opposed cross-special relationships."

With a small cringe he glanced over at the rabbit, unsure of how to respond. Spring kept his own eyes on his drink, but his grip on the mug was tight. Tense. Goldie knew he had to watch his words. He averted his eyes towards the floor. "My parents," he started carefully, "are against a lot of things. Cross-special relationships, humans and Animals living together, same-sex relationships, pretty much anything non-traditional..." he let his voice trail off, not wanting to look at his teacher or friend.

He could hear Spring shifting in his seat next to him. "I think I understand why you three don't like them now."

"Trust me, we like them even less now," Goldie snorted derisively, glancing back towards Spring. "They said you needed an attitude adjustment and Alfred completely flipped out on them."

"An attitude adjustment? _Me_?" Spring raised a brow. "Hello pot, I'm kettle."

Goldie wanted to laugh but he didn't feel able to. His heart was still beating much too fast, anger still boiling in his chest, but he still felt too numb to let it out. "My parents aren't very understanding..."

A few moments of silence passed, and in those seconds Goldie remembered that Mr. Hugh was still there, just watching them. When Goldie glanced towards him, he wore a strange, unreadable expression on his face as he watched the two golden-furred Animals converse. If Goldie didn't know any better, he'd say the wolf looked like he knew something.

"Did I wake Marion?" Spring suddenly asked, his voice quiet and guilty.

Turning his attention back to his friend, Goldie answered with, "It was more likely what happened _after_ you left that woke him up." Of course, the slamming door probably _did_ wake Marion, but it would definitely have been Alfred's yelling which prompted him out of bed...

"And what was that?" Spring questioned, worry lacing his tone.

"Alfred started yelling and our mom slapped him, claws and all," Goldie muttered, glancing away again. "And he stormed out too. Like I told Alfred, it wasn't your fault."

"Have they always been like that?" Spring asked hesitantly. Goldie's ears twitched and he frowned slightly. He knew what Spring was _really_ asking.

"They've always been self-absorbed assholes but this is the first time they've ever _hit_ one of us," he assured the rabbit. "They're lucky they're our parents, pretty sure Freddy was a hair trigger from attacking _them..."_ As if Goldie himself wasn't. In fact, he _really_ wanted to hit one of them.

But that wasn't right. That would make him as bad as them, after all.

"They're everything my mom and dad hated," Spring sighed, swishing the liquid in his cup around. Goldie wasn't sure if he'd even taken a sip of the sweet liquid since he'd entered the room. "Everything they were against..."

"I know," Goldie nodded, glancing towards Mr. Hugh. "I could tell."

Mr. Hugh hummed quietly and tapped a pen against his desk, leaning on his hand. "You're talking about Frederick and Marjorie Fazbear, correct?" he questioned, and Goldie could only nod a confirmation. Mr. Hugh sighed and glanced towards the ceiling. "They never did like Eddie or Elaine, no. Respected Eddie, but took every chance they could to publically humiliate Elaine for her political and ethical leanings." Then Mr. Hugh snorted, as though remembering something funny. It was a bitter sound, though, so maybe it was more a pathetic memory than funny. "They never succeeded, of course. Elaine was a strong woman, always stood her ground and never wavered without solid proof that she was wrong. It's what Eddie loved about her- more than everything else he loved about her anyway."

Spring ran his finger along the rim of his mug, frowning slightly in thought. "I didn't know mom was an advocate."

"That's because there were other things to worry about," Mr. Hugh told Spring gently, glancing towards Goldie now. "No matter their beliefs, you and Dante came first."

Hearing Mr. Hugh talk about Spring's parents, so fond and full of admiration, almost made Goldie sad that he never got a chance to meet them. _They sound like good people._

No one's flawless, of course. He was sure there were some mistakes they made, but mistakes didn't mean someone wasn't a good person. It was nice that they were being remembered for the good they did, though. It was also nice to hear Spring speak openly about his parents, but... it was... odd that Spring wouldn't know something like _that_ about his own mother.

Then again, not a lot of people knew what their parents did in their youth until years later.

"I know," Spring finally voiced, soft and quiet. "We're why they decided not to have more children, after all..."

"You don't need to blame yourself for that, Sunny Dee. That was their choice. And as it turned out... maybe it was the best choice they could have made."

Spring looked away from his uncle and Goldie frowned slightly, confused. For a moment he considered not asking, but the uncle and nephew were openly speaking about it in front of him, so...

"I know it's not really any of my business..." Goldie started, glancing at his friend unsurely, "but what do you mean by that?"

Spring and Mr. Hugh shared a look with one another and the rabbit fidgeted with his drink. Goldie expected either no answer or for Mr. Hugh to answer, but to his surprise Spring looked at him and said, "After the accident, my parents chose not to have more children. Five years later, they died." Quickly, Spring averted his green eyes, tightening his hold on his cup. "If they had had more children, then..."

He understood.

"Oh... right..." Goldie glanced aside, frowning. Neither Mr. Hugh nor Spring were saying what happened to them, so clearly that was still out of bounds. It didn't matter, though; Goldie would never ask something like that, especially if it'd only been five years.

 _Five years ago, Spring was sixteen..._

The thought just randomly popped into his head and he furrowed his brow, trying to figure out why that was so... significant. _Why is that important?_

It wasn't the first time Spring had told him about something... something when he was sixteen...

 _"Durrel; Sing, My Sweet Songbird..."_

 _"That was a gift for my sixteenth birthday..."_

 _Oh._ The box was possibly the last thing they gave him before they died. The last piece of his life _before_ their death, back when things were normal.

Of course the box would have been a touchy subject.

"Oh," he mumbled, glancing back towards his roommate. Spring didn't look up from his cup. "I think I understand..."

Spring glanced towards him, his green eyes reflecting something that Goldie just couldn't identify, and then he looked away again. "I think you do," he agreed. This time, when the silence fell, none of them tried to break it.

It wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't suffocating either.

It just... was.


End file.
